RELIGION  OF  MAN 


AND 


ETHICS  OF  SCIENCE. 


••'•' 


BY 


HUDSON    TUTTLE, 

AUTHOR    OF    "ARCANA    OF    NATURE,"     "ORIGIN  AND   DEVELOPMENT  OF 

MAN,"   "  INTELLIGENCE  FROM  THE  SPHERE  OF  LIGHT,"   "STUDIES 

IN  THE  OUTLYING  FIELDS  OF  PSYCHIC  SCIENCE,"   ETC. 


NEW  YORK : 

M.    L.    HOLBROOK    &    CO., 
1890. 


COPYRIGHT  BY 

HUDSON    TUTTLE, 

1890. 


TO 

J.    H.    PRATT, 

SPRING    HILL, 

KANSAS, 

THIS  VOLUME    IS   GRATEFULLY 

Jnscribrir. 


2049691 


PBEFACE. 


THE  past  has  been  the  Age  of  the  Gods  ;  the  Present 
is  the  Age  of  Man.  Not  servile  trust  in  the  Gods,  but 
knowledge  of  the  laws  of  the  world  ;  belief  in  the  Di- 
vinity of  Man  and  his  advancement  toward  perfection  is 
the  foundation  of  the  Religion  of  Man  and  the  Ethics 
of  Knowledge. 

The  Keligion  of  the  Gods  comes  from  without,  as  a 
foreign  system,  to  be  received  by  the  servile  devotee  ; 
the  Religion  of  Man  originates  from  within,  and  is  a 
normal  growth  of  humanity. 

While  all  past  ages  have  been  employed  in  the  study 
and  illustration  of  the  former  system,  not  until  recent 
times  has  the  latter  received  attention.  Those  who  have 
in  the  past  dared  advocate  the  rights  of  man  have  been 
mercilessly  crucified. 

The  field  is  new  ;  broad  as  the  universe  ;  profound  as 
the  depths  of  space  ;  as  high  as  heaven. 

In  its  exploration,  the  old  charts  are  worthless,  the 
old  guides  are  blind  leaders  of  the  blind,  and  not  a  step 
can  be  taken  until  the  chains  of  superstition  and  bigotry 
are  cast  aside. 

Not  alone  the  Manger-born,  but  every  child  is  a  divine 
child,  and  the  Immaculate  Mother  is  repeated  in  every 
human  mother.  The  divine  and  immortal  spirit  of 
man,  and  its  inherent  tendency  to  perfect  its  powers 
and  realize  its  ideals,  is  the  foundation  of  the  new 


VI  PREFACE. 

system.  Let  us  endeavor,  on  entering  this  field,  to 
leave  superstition  and  educational  bias  as  worn-out  gar- 
ments by  the  way,  and  without  revengeful  anger  at  the 
spectacle  of  the  innumerable  host  of  martyrs  to  Free 
Thought  swinging  in  gibbet-chains,  tortured  at  the 
stake,  or  entombed  in  horrible  dungeons  along  its  border, 
direct  our  steps  to  the  Highlands  of  Free  Thought. 

The  way  is  new  ;  the  obstacles  are  many  ;  the  reward, 
not  the  applause  of  the  multitude.  It  offers  no  atoning 
sacrifice;  no  scape  goat  for  sin.  It  demands  an  upright, 
manly,  self-reliant  life,  complete  in  the  harmonious  ac- 
tivity of  all  faculties  and  endowments. 

To  assist  and  encourage  those  who  are  weary  of  the 
theological  views  of  Nature  and  Man,  and  are  restless 
under  the  light  of  Knowledge,  is  the  object  of  the  fol- 
lowing pages. 

THE  AUTHOR. 


COI^TE^TS. 


PAGE 

PREFACE, 5,  6 

PART  I. 
THE  RELIGION   OF  MAN. 

FUNDAMENTAL  RELIGIOUS  PROPOSITIONS,     .        .        .  9,  10 

FUNDAMENTAL  SCIENTIFIC  PROPOSITIONS 10,  11 

PRELIMINARY. 
THE  DEAD  GODS  AND  THE  LIVING  MAN. 

The  Gods  of  Chaldea — Persia — The  Pageant  of  Babylon — 
India — Egypt — Greece — The  Mysteries  of  Eleusis — The 
.Tews — Early  Christianity — Constantino  the  Great — 
The  Carnival  of  Theology — Soul  Saving — The  Dawn  of 
Knowledge — The  Dying  Gods — Is  Life  Worth  the  Liv- 
ing ?— The  Religion  of  Pain  Has  Taken  all  the  Sunshine 
out  of  Life — True  Happiness 12-43 

I. 

RELIGION. 

Religion  the  Strongest  Motive  Actuating  Man— The  Bible 
— The  Church — Education  as  a  Means  of  Conserving 
Old  Beliefs  —  The  Methods  of  Attack  and  Defence 
Changed, 44-55 

IL 

WHAT  is  RELIGION  ? 

Among  all  Races — Its  First  Manifestation — Fetishism — 
Religious  Ideas  of  Australians — Of  the  Tribes  of  Central 
Africa — Of  the  Esquimaux — Forest  Dwellers  of  India — 
What  is  Religion  ?— Its  Highest  Expression,  .  .  55-63 

III. 

FETISHISM. 

Ideas  of  Savage  Man — His  Worship  is  from  Fear — He  is 
Controlled  by  Passion — His  Ideas  of  the  Future  State 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

I'AOE 

Fraught  with  Terror— To  Subject  the  Invisible  World 
the  Ambition  of  the  Priesthood — Worship  of  Inanimate 
Objects — The  Evolution  of  the  God-Idea — Fetishism 
Preserved  in  Christianity — Thanksgiving — Miracles,  .  G3-73 

IV. 

PHALLIC  WOESHIP. 

The  Oldest  Keligion — Prehistoric — Sun  Worship — Wor- 
ship of  the  Generative  Principle — In  India — Of  the 
Druids — The  Basis  of  all  Religions — The  Eleusian  Mys- 
teries the  Great  Church  of  the  Ancient  World — Christ's 
Reference  to — Apuleius's  Testimony— Established  1400 
B.C.— The  Temple  of  Eleusis — Initiation — The  Second 
Birth — Change  of  Heart— Grew  Out  of  a  Mistaken  View 
of  Nature — Mysteries  for  Women — Ceres,  the  Goddess 
of  Humanity — St.  Paul — The  Virgin  Mary,  the  Divine 
Mother — Divine  Fatherhood — The  Christian  Church 
and  the  Mysteries — Origin  of  the  Christian  Dogmas — 
The  Phallus- The  Cross— The  Steeple— The  Dome- 
Superstition — The  Past  Needed  Sects — The  Conflict  of 
the  Ages 73-103 

V. 

MAN'S  MOBAL  PBOGEESS  DEPENDENT  ON  HIS  INTELLECTUAL  GBOWTH. 

All  Civilized  Eaces  Have  Sacred  Books — Man's  Moral  Prog- 
ress Equivalent  to  Intellectual  Growth — Protestantism 
— Catholicism — Revelation  in  Conflict  with  Science — 
The  Battle  no  Longer  Waged  by  Metaphysical  Argu- 
ment, but  by  Science — The  Bible  and  Reason — Futility 
of  Missionary  Effort — Persistency  of  Customs  and  Be- 
liefs— Christianity  and  the  Dark  Continent — Christian- 
ity and  th«  Dark  Ages — Did  it  Foster  Learning  ? — Its 
Real  Animus — How  Did  Humanity  Escape  ?  .  .  103-124 

VI. 

THE  GBEAT  THEOLOGICAL   PBOBLEMS — THE    OBIGIN  OF  EVIL,  THE 
NATUBE  OF  GOD,  AND  THE  FUTUBE  STATE. 

The  Human  Mind  Mistakes  Ignorance  for  Profundity — 
Position  of  Man — Universality  of  the  Belief  in  Positive 
Evil — What  is  Evil  ? — The  Friction  of  Nature's  Activities 
— Protean  Form  of  the  God-Idea — The  Existence  of 
God — Attributes  of — The  Belief  in  God  the  Foundation 
of  Religion— Knowledge  Compared — Belief  in  Immor- 
tality More  Universal  than  in  the  Existence  of  God — In 
Egypt,  Hindustan,  Greece — Seized  by  the  Priests — 
The  Jews— The  Old  Testament— The  New— The  Scheme 
of  Salvation  —  Metempsychosis  —  Consc-iousness  of  a 
Previous  Condition, 125-138 


CONTENTS.  ix 

vn. 

PAOB 

MAN'S  FALL,  AND  THE  CHRISTIAN  SCHEME  FOB  HIS  REDEMPTION. 

Man  Insulted  the  Infinite — Creation  a  Failure — The  Blood 
of  Christ — The  Miiid  May  be  Cramped  until  it  Ceases 
to  Rebel — The  Fall  a  Myth — Adam  a  Myth — Primitive 
Man— Scientific  Evidence  of  the  Antiquity  of  Man — 
The  Development  of  Brain — Necessity — Influence  of 
Conditions — Area  of  History — Gulf  between  the  Moral 
and  Physical  Man, 138-147 

VIII. 

MAN'S  POSITION — FATE,  FKEE-WILL,  FBEE  AGENCY,  NECESSITY,  RE- 
SPONSIBILITY. 

Position  of  Man — An  Epitome  of  Creation — Is  he  Free  ? — 
Character — Plastic  to  Influences — Necessity— Rightly 
Born — Influence  of  Geographic  Position — Destiny — 
Based  in  the  Moral  Realm, 147-157 

IX. 

DUTIES  AND  OBLIGATIONS  or  MAN  TO  GOD  AND  TO  HIMSELF. 

God  Demands  Everything — The  Priest — God's  Laws  Need 
no  Special  Revelation — Verbal  Prayer — Duty  to  God — 
No  Mediator  between  Man  and  Law — He  Cannot  be 
Held  Amenable  to  Laws  not  in  his  Constitution — 
Morality  Does  not  Embrace  Dogmatic  Religion — All 
True  Revelation  Must  Be  in  Harmony  with  the  Laws 
of  the  World — To  Live  for  Our  Own  Sakes  not  the 
Glory  of  God — Prayer — Holy  Days — Sunday  Laws — 
Faith— Purity— The  Saint  of  the  Past— Of  the  Present 
—Of  the  Future, 158-170 


PART   II. 
THE  ETHICS  OF  SCIENCE. 

I. 

THE  INDIVIDUAL. 

Has  Fought  the  Battle  of  History — The  Lowest  Man  Sus- 
ceptible of  Infinite  Improvement — Duty — A  New  Crite- 
rion by  which  to  Decide  Right  and  Wrong — Man  a  Dual 
Structure — Physical  Man — The  Nervous  System  the 


X  CONTENTS. 

PAOE 

Bridge  between  Matter  and  Spirit — The  Prophecy  in 
Each  Member  of  the  Series  of  Evolution — Is  Creation  a 
Sham?— The  Course  of  Progress  Changed — To  Mind 
—The  Immortal  Spirit, 171-181 

II. 

THE  GENESIS  AND  EVOLUTION  or  SPIRIT. 

Origin  of  Matter  and  Force — Conservation  of  Force — 
Foundation  of  Spiritualism — Definition  of  Spirit — Re- 
incarnation— Dead  Matter — Origin  of  Life — Origin  of 
Man — Mental  Growth — Spirit — Similarity  between  the 
Spiritual  and  Physical  Worlds — Progress  of  Unlimited 
— Immortality  the  Highest  Aim  of  Creative  Energy,  .  181-194 

ni. 

THE  LAW  OF  MOEAL  GOVERNMENT. 

The  Subordination  of  the  Lower  to  the  Higher — Similar- 
ity between  the  Moral  and  Physical  Worlds — Illustrated 
in  Cohesion  and  Gravitation — The  Forces  of  Nature 
Will  be  Under  Human  Control — The  Faculty  which 
Distinguishes  Man — Reason  as  Intellectual  and  Moral 
Consciousness — Shall  we  be  Natural  ? — The  Test  of 
Eight,  Spiritual  Welfare, 194-199 

IV. 

THE  APPETITES, 

Division  into  Instinctive  and  Voluntary — Hunger — Thirst 
— Sleep— Sexual  Instinct — The  Natural  Activity  of  an 
Appetite  Yields  Happiness  —  Temperance  —  False 
Theories  of  Intemperance — Habit — Activity  and  Rest — 
The  Sexual  Instinct — Purpose  of — Deplorable  Ignorance 
— Better  Control  by  Fear  than  License — Application  of 
the  Rule 199-207 

V. 

SELFISH  PROPENSITIES. 

Love  of  Life — Have  we  a  Right  over  Our  Own  Lives  ? — 
Combativeness — Destructiveness — Secretiveness — Love 
of  Self— Love  of  Wealth— Cautiousness— The  Right 
over  Life— To  Love  Life — The  Object  of  Life,  its 
Uses— Rights  of  Labor— Self  Love 207-214 

VI. 

LOVE. 

Definition  of — Manifestations  of — Flows  out  Like  the 
Light  of  the  Sun— Has  its  Forms  Grown  out  of  Experi- 


CONTENTS.  XI 

PAGE 

ence  ? — Benevolence— Justice — Passive  and  Active  Vir- 
tues—Religion  Failed  in  Teaching  Justice— Meaning  of 
— Love  of  Truth — Perception  of  Absolute  Truth  Slow 
to  Mature— Faith, 214-225 

VII. 

WISDOM. 

The  Senses  Channels  Leading  to  Wisdom — Two  Schools — 
Conscience — Of  the  Savage — Reason  and  Conscience — 
Is  the  Imperfection  of  Supplied  by  Revelation  'I  — 
Accountability — Loss  of  Conscience — Change  of  Heart 
— Culture  of  Conscience — Can  the  Brutal  Man  Become 
an  Angel  ? — Temptation — Practical  Application — De- 
cision of  Conscience — What  is  Good  ? — What  is  Hap- 
piness ? — Whatever  is,  is  Right — Life  a  Discipline — 
Whatever  is,  Must  be — The  Path  of  Advance — Con- 
sequences,    ...  225-244 

VIII. 

WISDOM — THE  WILL. 

The  Will,  What  is  it  ? — Is  Man  Free  ? — Can  we  Do  as  we 
Please? — Development  of  the  Will — Depravity  of — 
Culture  of 244-248 

IX. 

CHAETEB  OF  RIGHTS. 

Existence  a  Charter  of  Rights — Hunger  has  a  Right  to 
Food  Limited  by  the  Right  to  Labor — Labor  Has  the 
Right  to  its  Own  Products — Must  Have  the  Opportu- 
nity— Right  to  Land — Rent — Interest — Illustration — 
Liberty — The  Right  to  Think— Salvation  in  Freedom — 
Right  of  Mental  Culture — Happiness— Woman's  Rights 
— Is  She  a  Human  Being  ? — The  Highest  Civilization 
Must  Give  Equal  Rights  to  Woman  —Summary  of  Rights,  248-260 

X. 

DUTIES  AND  OBLIGATIONS  op  THE  INDIVIDUAL. 

Rights  Presuppose  Duties— Duties  and  Obedience  to  God 
— Sin — Forgiveness  and  Pardon  of — Not  Known  in  Na- 
ture—Knowledge the  True  Saviour — Atonement  a 
Premium  on  Vice — No  Pardoning  Power  in  the  Uni- 
verse— Punishment — In  the  Future  Life — Duty  of 
Prayer — Faith  Resting  on  Knowledge — Natural  Duties 
—Of  Spiritual  Culture— Duty  of  Children— Duty  of 
Parents  —  Duties  of  Society  —  Duty  as  a  Source  of 
Strength 260-277 


Xii  CONTENTS. 

XI. 
DUTY  AND  OBLIGATIONS  or  SOCIETY. 

PAGE 

The  Struggle  for  Existence — Prehistoric  Man — Dawn  of 
Civilization — Rights  of  Society  and  the  Individual — 
Tendency  of  Civilization— Education — Family  Relations 
—Centralization— The  Old  Idea  Revived— The  Danger,  277-288 

XII. 

RIGHTS  or  GOVERNMENT. 

Rights  of  Government  Based  on  Eternal  Justice — Not  on 
the  Consent  of  the  Governed — All  Rest  on  the  Same 
Foundation, 288-290 

XIII. 

DUTIES  OF  SOCIETY  TO  CBIMINALS. 

If  Government  Fails  to  Give  Protection  it  is  Illegitimate — 
A  Republican  Government  Must  be  for  the  Good  of  the 
Whole — Criminal  Laws  of  Moses,  not  Christ— Fear  Pre- 
vents, it  Never  Reforms — The  Vengeance  of  Law  on  the 
Criminal — Picture  of  an  Angel  in  the  Judicial  Chair — 
Reform  not  Vengeance  —Capital  Punishment,  .  .  290-295 

XIV. 
THE  DUTY  OF  SELF- CULTURE. 

Is  it  the  Chief  End  of  Man  to  Glorify  God  and  Enjoy  Him, 
or  to  Glorify  Himself  ? — A  Radical  Change  Required 
in  Educational  Methods — Physical  Culture — The  Edu- 
cation of  Labor — Education  Begins  with  the  Body — 
Culture  of  the  Intellect— Culture  of  Morality,  .  .  295-303 

XV. 

MARRIAGE. 

Earliest  Phase — Where  are  the  New  Truths  which  are 
to  Take  the  Place  of  Our  Broken  Idols  ?— Confusion  of 
Church  and  State  Views  of  Marriage — A  Sacrament — 
A  Legal  Contract — A  Wrong  to  Woman  a  Wrong  to  the 
Race — Communal  Marriage  Tried  and  a  Failure — Polyg- 
amy Brutal — Monogamic  Marriage — Society' s  Interest  in 
— Conjugal  Love  Exchisive— The  Mother — Paternal  In- 
fluence on  Offspring — Free  Love— Affinity — Chastity  of 
Man  and  Woman  Demanded  on  Scientific  Grounds — 
Mistakes — Divorce — The  Ultimate,  Ideal  Perfection,  and 
Unselfish  Love,  .  303-313 


PART  I. 
THE  RELIGION  OF  MAN. 


FUNDAMENTAL    RELIGIOUS    PROPOSITIONS. 

MAN  was  created  perfect,  placed  in  a  perfect  world 
by  the  direct  and  miraculous  act  of  an  Infinite  God, 
and  by  disobedience  brought  sin  and  death  into  the 
world,  thereby  becoming  estranged  and  lost  from.  God, 
and  a  depraved  and  fallen  creature. 

DEPENDENT   PROPOSITIONS. 

1st.  As  he  Binned  against  an  Infinite  Being,  his  sin 
is  infinite,  and  requires  an  infinite  sacrifice. 

2d.  God,  as  the  only  Infinite  Being,  is  alone  capable 
of  fulfilling  the  requirements  demanded. 

3d.  God  incarnated  and  offered  himself  as  such  an 
atoning  sacrifice,  and  became  a  mediator  between  him- 
self and  sinful  man  to  save  the  world. 

4th.  The  efficacy  of  this  mediation  depends  on  faith. 

5th.  Man  is  a  free  agent,  and  can  choose  by  his  own 
free  will  between  good  and  evil. 

6th.  Endowed  with  life  through  the  arbitrary  will  and 
for  the  pleasure  of  God,  man's  free  choice  brings  on 
himself  reward  or  punishment. 

7th.  Mortal  life  is  a  state  of  probation  ;  immortality, 
a  miraculous  gift  of  God,  dependent  on  entertaining 


10  THE    RELIGION   OF   MAN. 

certain  beliefs,  in  which  is  meted  rewards  and  punish- 
ment. 

8th.  God  gave  the  Bible  as  a  direct  revelation  of  his 
will  to  man,  as  the  only  infallible  guide  and  source  of 
authority. 

Results. 

Superstition  ;  a  priesthood  ;  bigotry  ;  persecution  ; 
suppression  of  knowledge  ;  and  the  arrogance  of  infal- 
libility. 


FUNDAMENTAL  SCIENTIFIC   PROPOSITION. 

Man  has  been  evolved  from  the  lowest  form  of  being 
through  intermediate  stages  to  his  present  attainments 
by  the  fixed  and  immutable  laws  of  growth. 

DEPENDENT   PROPOSITIONS. 

1st.  Man  has  never  fallen  from  a  state  of  perfection 
— never  has  been  nor  can  be  estranged  or  lost  from 
God. 

2d.  The  only  mediator  that  can  exist  between  God  and 
man  is  knowledge,  and  through  it  man  becomes  his  own 
saviour. 

3d.  Evil  is  imperfection,  which  can  only  be  eradicated 
by  moral  growth. 

4th.  A  creature  of  organization  and  subject  to  un- 
changing laws,  man,  in  the  theological  sense,  is  not  a 
free  agent,  nor  has  he  a  free  will.  His  apparent  free 
agency  is  based  on  the  combination  of  forces  by  which 
he  becomes  an  individual. 

5th.  Mortal  life  is  not  probationary  ;  immortality  is 


FUNDAMENTAL   SCIENTIFIC    PKOPOSITION.  11 

not  bestowed,  but  evolved  from  and  a  direct  continuance 
of  the  physical  being  by  laws  as  sharply  defined  and  as 
unchangeable. 

6th.  The  only  infallible  authority  is  Nature  rightly 
interpreted  by  Reason. 

Results. 

Man  not  God  the  divine  centre  ;  nobility  of  life  ; 
highest  ideal  aspiration  for  perfection  ;  calm  reliance  in 
the  presence  of  universal  and  omnipotent  forces  ;  all- 
embracing  charity  and  philanthropy  ;  earnest  endeavor 
to  actualize  the  ideal  perfect  life  rendered  possible  by 
his  organization  in  this  world,  as  the  best  preparation 
for  the  next ;  and  for  the  Religion  of  Pain,  the  substitu- 
tion of  the  Religion  of  Joy. 


PRELIMINARY. 

THE   DEAD   GODS  AND  THE   LIVING  MAN. 

THE  past  has  been  the  Age  of  the  Gods,  the  future  is 
to  be  the  Age  of  Man. 

The  gods  !  Can  the  gods  die  ?  Aye,  die,  and  be 
buried  out  of  sight  beneath  the  wrack  thrown  from  the 
seething  waves  on  the  coast  line  of  the  ages.  There 
they  lie  on  that  desolate  coast,  against  the  black  back- 
ground, deserted,  pale,  dead,  past  all  resurrection  or 
second  coming.  About  them  lie  the  ruins  of  the  races 
that  bowed  to  their  shrine — the  broken  column,  the 
crumbling  temple,  brooded  over  by  silence  profound, 
impenetrable. 

Dead  tribes,  dead  empires,  dead  races,  dead  civiliza- 
tions, and  dead  gods  scattered  as  sea-waste  along  the 
interminable  shore-line  which  extends  into  the  night  of 
the  past,  lost  in  clouds  and  mist. 

In  the  lovely  age  of  a  new  earth,  fresh,  strong,  and 
exultant  in  its  youth,  came  the  Persian  civilization. 
Above  the  lofty  walls  of  Babylon,  centre  of  Magian  faith, 
arose  the  more  ambitious  towers  devoted  to  her  gods  — 
proud  gods,  lording  it  over  their  abject  subjects. 

They  forgot  their  lineage.  They  ignored  their  ances- 
tors ;  for  beyond  them,  the  terror  of  a  savage  race,  were 
the  fetiches,  of  which  they  were  the  union  and  concen- 
tration. Innumerable  minor  fetiches  became  in  them 
one,  blended  in  the  sun,  most  glorious  object  of  worship 
in  the  heavens.  Light  and  darkness,  Ormuzd  and 


THE    DEAD   GODS    AND   THE    LIVING    MAN.  13 

Ari manes,  good  and  evil — how  naturally  the  antagonism 
falls  !  The  vast  empire,  stretching  from  Indus  to  the 
Mediterranean,  received  with  unquestioning  devotion 
the  religion  of  light.  The  Magians  were  the  priestly 
order — :more  powerful  than  kings  or  nobles,  whom  they 
created  and  cast  down  at  a  word  ;  for  they  were  directly 
endowed  by  the  gods.  The  king  might  rule  the  people, 
but  they  ruled  the  king.  Theirs  was  the  court  of  final 
appeal.  "When  the  oracle  was  consulted,  the  deity 
spoke  ;  and  disobedience  called  down  divine  wrath. 

How  honored  were  these  gods  !  The  finest  marble, 
the  hardest  granite  carved  into  exquisite  forms  and  pol- 
ished with  incredible  labor  formed  the  walls  of  their 
temples,  which,  witbin,  were  encrusted  with  silver,  gold, 
and  precious  stones.  On  their  altars  burned  the  perpet- 
ual fire,  consuming  the  first  and  best  of  the  flocks  ;  for 
grateful  was  the  odor  of  roasting  flesh  to  the  nostrils  of 
these  deities.  In  the  very  shadows  of  these  vast  towers 
the  people  dwelt  in  hovels  uncomfortable  for  beasts, 
and  were  content  with  innutritions  pulse  and  sodden 
cake.  Oh,  then  was  the  paradise  of  the  priests  and  the 
high  tide  of  godhood  !  The  people  were  all  believing, 
and  doubt  was  unknown. 

It  was  a  grand  belief — this  worship  of  light  and  flame 
as  the  emblem  of  the  Creator.  Nature  wrote  in  her 
symbolism  the  profoundest  distinctions  of  the  analyzing 
mind.  What  is  more  glorious  than  the  sun  bursting 
out  of  the  eastern  darkness,  flooding  the  world  with  daz- 
zling light?  Life  awakes  at  the  coming  of  the  lord  of 
day.  He  is  the  creator  of  the  life  he  evokes.  How  sad 
is  his  setting  in  the  mists  of  evening,  and  terrible  the 
darkness  !— more  terrible  to  the  uncultured,  as  their 
fancy  peoples  it  with  invisible  beings.  The  beast  of  prey 
lurks  in  the  shadows,  and  the  enemy  takes  advantage  of 


14  THE    RELIGION   OF   MAN. 

it  to  approach.  It  was  opposed  to  light ;  the  antagonist 
to  good  ;  the  symbol  of  evil.  Here  was  founded  the 
religion  of  which  the  Magians  held  the  key,  and  swayed 
the  destinies  of  the  Chaldean  and  Persian  civilizations. 
When  Babylon  had  reached  the  zenith  of  her  glory, 
resting  on  the  lovely  Euphrates,  could  send  her  orders  to 
remotest  tribes  by  a  single  messenger  and  have  them 
obeyed  ;  when  the  summits  of  her  broad  walls  gave  am- 
ple field  for  the  mano3uvre  of  armies,  and  she  could 
throw  wide  her  hundred  gates,  allowing  a  host  to  march 
from  each — then  with  the  splendor  of  war  came  the 
splendor  of  the  priesthood  ;  and  the  gods  were  supreme. 
There  was  the  divine  Father  Ormuzd,  "The  King  of 
Light,"  god  of  the  Firmament,  of  "  Goodness"  and 
Truth  ;  addressed  as  "  Eternal  Source  of  Sunshine  and 
Light,"  "  The  Centre  of  all  that  exists,"  "  The  First- 
born of  the  Eternal  One,"  "  The  Creator,"  "  The  Sov- 
ereign Intelligence,"  "  The  All-seeing,"  "  The  Just 
Judge."  He  rested  on  a  white  throne  in  the  regions  of 
pure  light,  and  was  the  "  Eternal  One." 

So  far  removed  was  he  from  the  paths  of  men  to  heed 
their  cries  or  minister  to  their  cares,  Mithras,  the  Medi- 
ator, came  between  the  father  god  and  the  children  of 
men.  He  was  the  sun-god,  and  they  kept  December 
25th  as  his  birthday.  Then  it  is  the  sun  from  its  south- 
ern journey  perceptibly  begins  to  return  northward,  or 
is  born  again  ;  and  they  celebrated  the  event  with  far 
greater  ceremonies  than  we  now  do  our  Christmas  tide. 
And  again,  on  the  vernal  equinox,  or  Easter  day,  they 
held  festivities  which  for  splendor  never  were  excelled. 
The  "  annual  salutation  of  Mithras,"  the  "  Mediator" 
and  "  Saviour,"  was  an  event  in  which  the  whole  peo- 
ple participated  ;  and  neither  time  nor  expense  was 
spared  to  make  the  pageant  attractive.  It  lasted  forty 


THE    DEAD   GODS   AND   THE   LIVING   MAN.  15 

days  which  were  devoted  to  thanksgiving   and  sacri- 
fice. 

On  the  appointed  day,  long  before  the  light  of  morn- 
ing, the  great  city  Babylon,  the  centre  of  the  fire-wor- 
ship, was  astir  ;  and  her  myriad  population  swarmed 
the  streets,  washed  and  dressed  in  gala  attire.  The  vast 
brazen  gates  looking  to  the  east  were  wide  swung  ;  and 
the  procession  began  its  march  to  the  holy  Mount 
Orontes,  there  to  salute  the  rising  sun.  First  was  the 
high  priest,  bareheaded,  his  tiara  borne  by  a  page,  and 
behind  him  followed  a  long  train  of  Magi,  in  robes  of 
spotless  white  linen,  chanting  hymns,  and  swinging  over 
their  heads  silver  censers,  in  which  the  sacred  fire  was 
burning.  Behind  them,  in  single  file,  came  three  hun- 
dred and  sixty-five  noble  youths,  representing  the  days 
of  the  year,  clad  in  scarlet  to  represent  flame.  Then 
came  the  chariot  of  the  sun,  empty,  but  decorated  with 
garlands,  drawn  by  white  horses  harnessed  with  bur- 
nished gold  ;  and  led  behind  this  the  most  superb  white 
horse  to  be  obtained,  his  forehead  blazing  with  a  diadem 
of  gems.  Then  came  the  king  in  a  chariot  of  ivory  and 
gold,  and  an  endless  train  of  courtiers  and  nobles  riding 
on  camels,  followed  by  the  people.  Slowly  they  ascend- 
ed the  mountain  ;  and,  gaining  its  summit,  the  vast 
host  faced  the  east,  overlooking  the  purple  plain,  where 
on  the  remote  horizon  the  first  red  blush  of  Aurora, 
goddess  of  morning,  heralded  the  coming  of  her  lord. 
The  stone  altar  was  prepared  in  front  of  the  breathless 
ranks  and  piled  with  odoriferous  woods  and  frankin- 
cense, on  which  the  beautiful  white  horse  devoted  to 
the  god  was  placed.  The  high  priest  assumed  his  tiara, 
wreathed  now  with  myrtle,  and  taking  the  silver  censer, 
from  which  streamed  the  sacred  fire,  held  it  aloft,  while 
he  watched  for  the  coming  of  the  sun.  When  its  rim 


16  THE    RELIGION    OF   MAN. 

first  appeared,  he  lighted  the  offering  ;  and  as  the  fra- 
grant smoke  arose  in  the  clear,  still  air,  the  Magi  sang  a 
hymn  of  praise  to  Ormnzd,  source  of  all  blessings,  who 
had  sent  the  radiant  Mithras  as  a  saviour  to  mankind. 
Then  the  high  priest  offered  prayers,  and  all  the  vast  mul- 
titude joined  in  a  chorus  of  praise  ;  and  beggar,  priest, 
and  king  prostrated  themselves  before  the  orb  of  day. 

Wonderful  pageant,  yet  not  so  tender  as  that  given 
in  honor  of  Mylitta,  virgin  mother  of  Tammuz,  the  in- 
carnation of  Mithras,  the  holy  son  of  Ormuzd.  She 
was  represented  as  bearing  in  her  arms  her  infant  son, 
and  the  mothers  of  Tyre  and  Babylon  bowed  at  her 
shrine.  To  them  she  was  the  affectionate,  all-loving 
mother,  whose  tender  heart  would  be  touched  by  their 
appeals,  and  intercede  for  them  with  her  son.  She  was 
exceedingly  beautiful,  and  the  erring  sinner  could  ap- 
peal to  her  with  more  chance  of  success  than  to  the  stern 
father.  She  had  incarnated  the  divine  nature  without 
sin,  and  her  son  had  suffered  death  for  the  salvation  of 
men  ;  hence  she  had  a  right  to  plead.  She  was  the 
"  Celestial  Virgin,"  "  the  Mother  of  God,"  "  the  Great 
Mother,"  "the  Immaculate  One." 

Glorious  age,  when  the  gods  were  nigh  unto  the  chil- 
dren of  men,  and  daily  conversed  with  them,  daily  told 
them  that  their  followers  should  possess  the  earth,  and 
force  the  heathen  nations,  who  knew  not  Ormuzd  or 
Mithras,  to  bow  at  their  shrine  !  Arimanes,  the  Evil 
One,  the  Darkness,  should  be  bound  at  length,  and  the 
garden  of  Paradise  be  regained. 

What  a  beautiful  dream  of  these  gods  !  The  sands 
drift  in  waves  like  the  sea  over  their  morning  empire, 
and  stagnant  pools  breed  miasm  where  the  walls  of 
Babylon  swarmed  with  armed  myriads  and  the  tower 
of  Babel  provoked  the  deity  by  its  cloud-piercing  am- 


THE    DEAD   GODS   AND   THE   LIVING    MAN.  17 

bition.  The  mighty  king,  whose  frown  or  smile  was 
like  a  decree  of  fate  ;  the  leaders  of  armies  and  of  States  ; 
the  hero  clad  in  brazen  armor  guiding  the  neighing  war- 
horses  in  the  thundering  chariot ;  the  countless  swarms 
of  warriors,  gone — all  gone  ;  and  the  sands  drift  and 
the  slimy  pools  fester  in  the  sun.  The  bright  orb  rises 
as  of  old  ;  but  no  Magi  await  his  coming  with  swinging 
censer,  no  altar  on  the  mountain  tops,  no  sacred  groves, 
no  priests  with  flaming  sacrifice.  The  empire  is  dead, 
the  priests  are  dead.  Ormuzd,  the  Father,  Mithras,  the 
Mediator,  Mylitta,  the  Holy  Mother,  her  beloved  son, 
Ari manes,  the  Evil  One,  all  dead — dead  ;  and  the  desert 
sands  drift,  and  the  slimy  pools  fester  in  the  sun. 

By  the  side  of  the  Persians  is  another  people  as  re- 
mote in  time,  and  occupying  a  wide  extent  of  coast — for 
they  are  hundreds  of  millions  strong  and  of  countless 
generations — the  Hindus,  whose  religion  still  exists, 
though  its  vitality  is  gone.  Over  all  that  fruitful  India, 
religion  came  to  blight  and  blast  with  its  doctrine  of 
caste  and  childish  whims,  which  destroyed  the  pleasures 
of  living.  Here  the  Eeligion  of  Pain  strikes  root,  and 
spreads  luxuriant  its  upas  branches.  The  Brahmins  en- 
couraged beliefs  entirely  to  their  advantage,  and  ruled 
by  inherited  prejudice  they  had  thus  established.  There 
was  a  host  of  gods,  of  whom  Brahm  was  the  eternal  one, 
the  unthinkable  and  infinite.  Brahma  came  as  his 
emanation,  a  lower  degree,  yet  too  far  removed  to  re- 
quire honors,  festivals,  or  temples.  Vishnu  and  Siva 
are  the  gods  of  good  and  evil.  Siva  is  the  destroyer  ; 
and  his  companion,  Doorga,  the  chief  of  the  female 
deities,  whose  altar  often  streamed  with  blood,  even 
of  human  victims. 

Vishnu  incarnated  himself  in  Buddha  and  Krishna. 
Their  mothers  were  "  Celestial  Virgins,"  and  they  were 


18  THE   RELIGION    OF   MAN. 

"  Saviours."  Of  Buddha,  it  is  said  in  the  sacred  books, 
"  He  gave  his  life  like  grass  for  the  good  of  others." 
He  was  called  the  "  great  physician,"  "  Saviour  of  the 
world,"  "the  Blessed  One,"  "the  Anointed,"  the 
"  Messiah,"  the  "  Only  Begotten. " 

The  theology  taught  by  the  priests  of  these  gods  was 
as  gloomy  as  the  shadows  of  the  Indian  jungle  or  its 
rock-hewn  temples.  Life  was  a  struggle  to  free  the 
spirit  from  the  sin  of  having  entered  the  flesh.  The 
physical  world  and  everything  connected  therewith  was 
evil.  It  was  the  earliest  form  of  primitive  Christianity. 
The  welfare  of  the  spirit  could  only  be  gained  by  cruci- 
fixion of  the  flesh.  The  devotees  sought  the  caverns  in 
the  densest  forests.  They  abode  with  wild  beasts,  and 
sustained  themselves  on  roots  and  herbs  ;  they  wore  gar- 
ments that  chafed  the  flesh,  whipped  themselves  with 
thongs,  or  wore  crowns  of  thorns  piercing  the  brow  ; 
submitted  to  the  extremes  of  hunger  and  thirst,  heat 
and  cold,  to  overcome  and  subdue  the  flesh.  From  all 
parts  of  the  vast  empire,  streams  of  pilgrims  came  to 
wash  away  their  sins  in  the  sacred  waters  of  the  Ganges. 
Vast  numbers  gathered  to  celebrate  the  days  sacred  to 
their  gods.  The  temple  car  was  drawn  at  the  head  of 
the  imposing  procession  ;  and,  as  it  passed  through  the 
living  lines  of  prostrate  people,  some  in  their  infatuation 
threw  themselves  beneath  the  crushing  wheels,  and  by 
their  zeal  gained  the  approbation  of  their  gods.  The 
people  are  there  still ;  but  other  gods  are  jostling  these 
sad  old  deities,  who  die  supine  and  paralyzed,  while  the 
tide  of  thought  sets  by  them. 

As  a  daughter  to  a  mother,  so  was  Egypt  to  India. 
At  a  time  history  speaks  not  of,  the  former  was  a  colony 
of  the  latter  ;  and  there  the  people  carried  their  gods 
with  them.  There  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile,  mysterious 


THE   DEAD   GODS   AND   THE   LIVING   MAN.  19 

river,  flourished  a  civilization  unlike  any  other  furnished 
by  the  ancient  world.  The  labor  of  a  dense  population 
easily  fed  was  used  by  the  priesthood  for  their  own  pur- 
poses. The  gods  wanted  temples  ;  and  the  bodies  of 
the  dead  must  be  carefully  preserved  against  the  time 
the  soul  returned  again  to  occupy  them.  Egypt  became 
a  land  of  temples  and  of  tombs.  The  gods  gave  the 
priests  absolute  authority,  and  they  made  the  people 
slaves.  Into  the  rocky  cliffs  they  hewed  enormous  gal- 
leries, faced  and  columned  from  the  flinty  stone,  and 
written  over  all  the  walls  with  hieroglyphics  recording 
pious  thoughts  and  godly  deeds.  To  the  banks  of  the 
sacred  stream  they  brought  the  titanic  columns  and 
blocks,  and  erected  temples  as  colossal  and  gloomy  as 
the  mountain  caverns.  The  gods  had  said  that  the  body 
would  be  demanded  by  the  spirit ;  and,  unless  preserved, 
the  lone  spirit  would  be  compelled  to  wander  forever 
without  one.  Hence  the  care  of  the  body  as  well  as  of 
the  soul  fell  to  the  priests  ;  and  they  embalmed  the  dead 
and  wrapped  them  carefully,  awaiting  the  resurrec- 
tion. 

When  Egypt  was  at  her  prime,  the  Nile  flowed  through 
the  most  fertile  and  best-cared-for  country  on  the  globe, 
bringing  the  waters  of  Central  Africa  to  nourish  the 
gardens  and  palm-groves ;  and  in  its  little  valley, 
hemmed  in  by  deserts,  the  population  was  crowded  in 
villages  and  teeming  cities  along  its  banks.  It  mirrored 
a  thousand  temples  ;  and  between  were  the  towering 
Pyramids,  fresh  from  the  hands  of  their  builders.  Col- 
ossal images  of  stone  guarded  the  temples,  of  which  the 
Sphinx  is  a  remaining  example.  All  was  alive,  active, 
breathing  the  intense  zeal  and  superstition  which  pre- 
vailed. 

Osiris  was  the  active  creator,  and  the  sun  was  his  em- 


20  THE    RELIGUON    OF    MAN. 

blem.  He  was  the  "  oldest  Son  of  Time,  and  courser 
of  the  day." 

With  Amon  dwelt  the  exalted  goddess  Xeith,  in  the 
sphere  of  pure  ether.  Her  temple  at  Sais  exceeded  in 
colossal  grandeur  any  before  seen,  and  her  power  was 
written  on  their  walls  in  characters  deciphered  by  Cham- 
pollion  : 

"  I  am  all  that  has  been,  all  that  is,  and  all  that  will 
be.  No  mortal  has  ever  raised  the  veil  that  conceals 
me.  My  offspring  is  the  sun." 

The  Holy  Family  of  Egypt  presented  a  beautiful  and 
charming  picture.  As  Osiris  was  the  active  principle 
of  creation,  Isis  was  the  passive.  She  was  the  prolific 
mother  ;  and,  between  them,  they  are  represented  as 
bearing  the  cross,  mysterious  emblem  of  life,  which,  in 
a  later  age,  the  Christians  adopted  as  the  symbol  of  life 
immortal  gained  thereby.  In  her  arms  she  bears  her 
beautiful  infant  Horus,  the  incarnation  of  the  All 
Father.  In  the  hieroglyphics  she  is  styled  "  Our 
Lady,"  "  Queen  of  Heaven,"  "  Mother  of  God,"  "  Im- 
maculate Virgin,"  all  of  which  were  afterward  applied 
to  the  Virgin  Mary.  She  is  represented  as  standing  on 
the  crescent  moon,  with  twelve  stars  over  her  head,  and 
holding  her  son  in  her  arms. 

The  twenty-fifth  of  December  was  his  birthday,  and 
the  occasion  of  national  rejoicing.  It  was  realized,  in 
order  the  more  forcibly  to  impress  its  significance  on 
the  minds  of  the  people.  The  high  priest,  followed  by 
the  priesthood,  the  king,  and  nobles,  marched  in  pro- 
cession to  the  village  where  Horus  was  said  to  be  born, 
and  there  found  the  infant,  in  a  manger,  awaiting 
them.  The  mother,  thus  exalted  for  a  time  to  act  the 
part  of  the  mother  goddess,  with  her  infant,  was  borne 
to  the  temple,  crowned  with  flowers,  and  followed  by 


THE   DEAD   GODS   AND   THE   LIVING    MAN.  21 

crowds  chanting  sacred  hymns  of  joy.  When  they  came 
to  the  Nile,  the  high  priest  launched  a  miniature  ship, 
freighted  with  the  choicest  fruits  of  the  land,  as  an  offer- 
ing  to  the  "  Immaculate  Mother."  Over  the  rejoicing 
multitudes  the  Pyramids  arose  like  miniature  mountains, 
the  temples  cast  gloomy  shadows,  and  the  sphinxes  gazed 
with  stony  eyes. 

0  beautiful  gods,  remorseless  gods  !  not  content  with 
ruling  this  world,  who  sat  over  the  Stygian  river,  in  your 
cavern  temple,  and  at  midnight's  awful  hour  judged 
the  dead  !  Fearful  judgment  !  for,  if  adverse,  the  body 
of  beggar  in  his  rags  or  the  Pharaoh  in  his  purple  robes 
was  cast  to  the  crocodiles,  and  thus  the  soul  forever  and 
forever  doomed  to  walk  in  Stygian  darkness. 

A  thousand  years  have  gone  by,  when  the  wandering 
souls,  it  was  said,  would  return  and  claim  their  bitu- 
minized  dust.  A  thousand  years  have  three  times  passed, 
and  decay  has  made  the  dust  its  own.  A  few  of  these 
god-commanded  mummies  are  preserved,  curiously 
gazed  on  with  disgust ;  dreadful  preservations  of  ghast- 
liness ;  but  the  ashes  of  the  Pharaohs  fertilize  their 
native  soil. 

That  grand  civilization,  at  which  the  world  gazed  with 
charmed  wonder,  is  dead.  The  Pyramids,  useless  efforts 
of  labor,  the  crumbling  columns  of  colossal  temples, 
gnawed  by  the  sharp  sands  in  which  they  are  half  buried, 
are  all  that  remains.  Egypt,  once  able  from  her  burst- 
ing granaries  to  feed  the  world — now  none  so  weak  as 
to  do  her  homage.  The  race  that  tent  beneath  the 
ruined  arches  of  her  former  greatness  know  not  of  that 
famous  time,  and  are  alien  to  the  soil.  The  pageantry 
of  the  gods  is  no  more.  They  are  dead — Osiris  and  Isis 
and  Horus,  Amon  and  Neith,  with  all  their  train  of  de- 
pendent deities — dead,  and  nothing  remains.  Ay,  their 


22  THE    RELIGION    OF    MAX. 

mummies  !  Did  they  embalm  the  gods  as  well  ?  Sure- 
ly, and  a  museum  boasts  of  having  the  only  perfectly 
preserved  mummy  of  the  god  Apis.  That  god  is  a  curi- 
ous sight,  lying  down  with  head  erect,  wound  in  every 
direction  with  linen  bands.  By  his  side  are  ranged  the 
embalmed  remains  of  sacred  cats,  storks,  and  the  ibis. 
Poor  dead  gods  !  Was  it  not  enough  to  die,  that  these 
remains  should  be  preserved  to  mock  your  godship  and 
awaken  the  laughter  of  the  unborn  ages  ? 

You  cannot  preserve  the  perishable.  Time  will  crum- 
ble adamant  to  dust  ;  and  although  the  mummy  out- 
lasts the  god-idea  it  represents,  it  shall  vanish.  The 
sharp  tooth  of  the  desert  wind  shall  level  the  last  block 
of  the  Pyramids,  and  not  even  the  Sphinx  shall  remain 
a  monument  to  the  history  it  will  not  reveal. 

The  gods  of  Greece  !  How  fascinating  the  mythology 
of  the  classic  race  !  Its  gods  were  so  human,  and  ap- 
proached so  near  the  ways  of  men,  their  devotees  uncon- 
sciously felt  for  them  the  love  they  fully  returned. 
What  a  flood-tide  of  intelligence  in  that  age  when  Plato 
and  Socrates  searched  for  spiritual  truth,  Aristotle  phil- 
osophized, ^schylus  and  Sappho  sang,  and  Phidias 
made  the  white  marble  breathe  !  The  gods  were  not  the 
terror  of  their  worshippers  :  they  were  their  fellows. 
They  evoked  the  loveliest  conceptions  of  beauty  in  the 
imaginative  Greeks.  The  temples  erected  for  them  have 
been  models  of  architecture  since  their  time,  and  admit 
of  no  improvement.  Their  sculptured  images,  freed 
from  the  coarse  symbolism  which  forced  itself  forward 
in  other  races,  were  perfectly  human,  and  hence  di- 
vinely beautiful. 

Jupiter  ruled  over  the  firmament,  Pluto  over  the 
nether  world,  and  Neptune  over  the  sea  ;  and  there  were 
Bacchus,  Adonis,  Mars,  and  a  host  of  inferior  deities. 


THE    DEAD    GODS   AND   THE   LIVING    MAN.  23 

They  were  all  susceptible  to  the  softening  influences  of 
love  ;  and  what  an  array  of  goddesses  shone  in  the  Pan- 
theon— Juno,  Minerva,  Venus,  Proserpina,  Ceres,  and 
countless  lesser  goddesses  and  nymphs,  perfected  in 
every  grace  ! 

Ceres  was  the  mother  goddess,  affectionate,  tender, 
and  true,  the  perfect  type  of  womanly  loveliness.  What 
a  wonderful  festival  was  hers,  when  the  autumn  brought 
its  harvest  !  It  was  the  Mysteries  as  celebrated  by  wom- 
en. They  gathered  on  the  sea-shore,  and  for  several 
days  performed  prescribed  rites.  She  was  the  goddess 
of  humanity,  and  hers  was  the  shrine  of  Compassion 
and  Peace. 

There  were  the  greater  Mysteries,  wherein  the  secrets 
revealed  by  the  gods  were  taught.  The  Mysteries  were 
the  church  of  Greece.  If  the  initiated  revealed  the  se- 
crets, he  met  the  vengeance  of  the  gods  ;  and  the  stigma 
of  non-observance  was  far  greater  than  that  attending 
infidelity  at  the  present  time.  Socrates  was  given  the 
hemlock  because  he  neglected  the  worship  of  the  gods. 

Every  five  years  all  Greece  assembled  at  Eleusis  in 
Attica  to  celebrate  these  solemnities.  The  vast  con- 
course tented  on  the  plains  around  a  splendid  temple 
erected  over  a  cavern,  in  which,  at  an  earlier  time,  the 
rites  were  first  held.  This  temple  was  of  divine  archi- 
tecture, its  endless  colonnades  chiselled  from  purest 
marble,  without  spot  or  stain.  It  stood  on  a  swell  of 
ground,  and  could  be  seen  rising  in  snowy  beauty  by  the 
vast  multitude.  Over  its  front  was  a  colossal  statue  of 
Jupiter,  calm,  beneficent,  all-powerful  ;  and,  on  either 
side,  a  statue  of  Ceres  smiled  on  the  passers-by.  The 
novitiate  was  led  to  the  door,  crowned  with  myrtle. 
There  he  was  washed  in  a  fount  of  holy  water.  Then 
he  was  asked  :  "  Are  you  pure  and  spotless  from  the 


^4  THE    RELIGION"    OF    MAN. 

world  ?  Are  you  free  from  crime  ?"  Then,  as  the  door 
opened,  an  impressive  voice  chanted  :  "  He  who  enters 
must  be  pure,  or  the  gods  will  destroy  him.  He  who 
passes  this  portal  goes  into  a  shadow,  from  which  only 
the  just  return.  Oh,  weak,  thoughtless,  and  improvident 
mortal,  daring  to  penetrate  the  realm  of  the  gods  :  aspire 
to  truth  and  perfection,  and  strive  to  discard  the  flesh 
and  the  world  !' ' 

The  Mysteries  were  celebrated  for  nine  days,  during 
which  all  distinction  of  rank  was  abolished.  The  first 
day  was  for  social  gathering.  They  bathed  in  the  sea, 
offered  sacrifice  to  the  gods,  marched  in  processions. 
Every  ceremony  had  a  meaning  which  was  fresh  in  their 
minds.  What  a  delightful  episode  in  their  lives  must 
these  ceremonies  have  been  !  and  how  they  bound  the 
people  together  !  The  gods  were  in  every  respect  human, 
and  their  favor  was  gained  by  homage  and  tribute. 
They  were  regaled  with  the  fragrance  of  the  altar  ;  and 
the  more  sumptuous  the  offering,  the  better  were  they 
pleased.  When  angry,  the  sacrifice  must  be  greater  ; 
when  exceedingly  wroth,  human  victims  were  required 
to  appease  them.  The  husbandman  offered  to  Ceres 
cakes  made  from  the  grain  she  had  given  him  ;  he 
poured  out  wine  to  the  god  of  the  vineyard.  The  sailor 
threw  an  offering  to  Neptune  into  the  sea.  There  was 
a  goddess  presiding  over  birth,  over  marriage,  and  over 
death.  Every  river  and  lake  and  stream  had  its  presid- 
ing divinities  ;  every  grove  and  mountain.  The  pas- 
sions and  the  thoughts  were  guided  and  controlled  by 
them.  A  delightful  world,  when  such  exquisite  gods 
and  goddesses  rule  the  affairs  of  men,  with  whom  they 
form  such  close  communion  !  Poetry  grew  on  such 
celestial  food,  and  art  attained  unparalleled  perfection. 
Such  gods,  surely,  are  immortal.  Their  temples  are  in- 


THE   DEAD    GODS   AND   THE   LIVING   MAN.  25 

destructible,    their     altars    will    retain     the    constant 
flame. 

The  temples  are  in  ruins  ;  the  marble  shafts,  the  fine- 
ly wrought  architrave,  win  the  admiration  of  a  race  un- 
known to  their  builders  ;  and  the  sculptured  images  are 
treasured  as  priceless  specimens  of  art.  History  records 
the  daring  deeds  of  heroism — the  march  of  the  ten 
thousand,  the  defence  of  Thermopylae,  the  devotion  at 
Marathon,  the  brighter  pages  of  the  achievements  of 
orators,  statesmen,  philosophers,  and  poets.  The  old 
race  is  dead.  The  shrines  are  deserted.  No  gath- 
ering of  wives  on  the  sea-shore  in  honor  of  Ceres  ;  no 
hosts  camping  on  the  plains  of  Eleusis  ;  no  wailing  for 
the  death  of  Adonis  ;  no  festivities  at  the  Christmas- 
tide  ;  Jupiter  no  more  the  god  of  thunder.  He  is  dead. 
Ceres,  the  immaculate  mother,  Venus,  Isis,  Pluto,  Nep- 
tune— oh,  the  endless  line  of  dead  gods  and  goddesses, 
whose  departure  seems  to  take  the  poetry  out  of  nature 
and  existence  !  With  the  Greek  and  Roman  civiliza- 
tions, which  they  led  to  the  flood-tide  of  glory,  they 
passed  away,  and  now  linger  on  as  sweet  and  beautiful 
interpretations  of  the  phenomena  of  the  world.  "We 
now  meet  the  hard  facts  of  experience,  behind  which  we 
expect  no  hidden  god.  The  Greek  might  say  that 
Aurora  blushed  when  the  sun  kissed  her  pale  brow  ; 
but,  with  us,  it  is  simply  the  revolution  of  the  earth, 
lie  could  fancy  a  saucy  nymph  in  echo  :  we  can  find 
nothing  but  reflection  of  the  waves  of  sound.  He  could 
picture  Neptune  lashing  the  sea  :  we  only  the  effects  of 
the  wind.  He  was  affrighted  at  the  thunder,  as  the 
voice  of  Jove  in  anger  :  we  know  it  is  nothing  but  an 
overcharged  cloud.  Oh,  what  a  matter-of-fact,  unpoetic 
world,  with  the  gods  dead,  and  reality  and  certainty 
everywhere  ! 


26  THE   EELIGIOK    OF   MAN. 

Most  influential  on  the  strong  tide  which  set  past 
historic  headlands,  entering  into  and  forming  a  part  of 
the  civilization  of  the  present,  is  Jehovah  of  the  Jews. 
He  was  at  first  a  vagabond  god,  imprisoned  in  a  chest 
or  ark,  slung  on  poles,  and  carried  on  the  shoulders  of 
his  priests,  as  they  fled  across  the  desert  from  a  people 
they  had  robbed.  Moses,  chief  of  the  priesthood,  an 
initiate  in  the  mysteries  of  Egypt,  bestowed  on  his  pa- 
tron god  the  character  ascribed  to  Osiris,  and  called 
him,  in  language  he  had  learned,  the  All-powerful,  the 
Great  I  Am,  propitiated  him  by  the  burnt  offerings  he 
had  learned  were  acceptable  to  the  Egyptian  gods.  The 
movable  ark  or  shrine,  having  Jehovah  boxed  up,  ready 
at  all  times  for  transportation,  was  a  brilliant  fore- 
thought of  a  leader  of  a  wandering  band  of  barbarians. 
Having  their  god  always  with  them  assured  success  ; 
and,  to  preserve  the  box,  the  priesthood  formed  a  body- 
guard. When  the  Jews  roamed  the  desert,  their  god, 
beside  his  box,  had  a  tent  or  tabernacle,  the  curtains 
of  which  he  had  ordered  exactly  how  to  be  made,  even 
to  the  rings  thereon.  It  was  a  tent,  but  much  larger, 
better,  and  cleaner  than  the  foul  coverings  of  his  fol- 
lowers. When  they  had  conquered  the  land  he  had 
promised  them,  then  Solomon  built  him  a  temple — not 
as  large  or  beautiful  as  those  other  nations  had  erected 
for  their  gods,  but  sumptuous  for  such  a  poor  and  weak 
nation  as  the  Jews.  The  temple  was  better  than  a  tent, 
and  large  enough  for  the  Jewish  people.  They  had  one 
god,  and  wanted  but  one  temple  ;  and  other  nations 
were  forbidden,  in  their  selfish  exclusiveness,  to  join  in 
their  worship. 

But  whether  in  his  box,  in  a  tent  in  the  desert,  amid 
the  lowing  cattle,  bleating  sheep,  and  the  shouting  herds- 
men, the  dirt  and  squalor  of  nomadic  life,  or  behind  the 


THE    DEAD   GODS   AND   THE   LIVING    MAN.  27 

purple  curtains  of  the  Holy  of  Holies  in  the  temple  of 
Solomon,  with  attendants  in  fine  linen  burning  frank- 
incense or  offering  up  the  smoking  blood  of  the  firstlings 
of  the  flocks,  what  a  terrible  god  he  was  !  He  had 
neither  friendship  nor  love.  He  was  a  shrewd,  cun- 
ning, conniving  Jew,  bargaining,  trafficking,  envious 
and  jealous  of  other  gods,  and  sanctioning  unmention- 
able atrocities.  He  would  at  times,  on  the  slightest 
provocation,  smite  his  chosen  people  as  remorselessly  as 
he  would  their  enemies.  He  led  them  up  from  the  des- 
ert, a  horde  of  covetous  Bedouins,  and  showed  them  the 
promised  land,  flowing  with  milk  and  honey.  It  was  a 
fruitful  land  ;  for  it  had  been  long  occupied  by  a  race 
of  agriculturists,  who  had  by  labor  conquered  the  desert, 
and  made  it  bloom  like  the  rose.  They  had  built  cities 
and  villages,  planted  orchards  and  vineyards  and  fields 
of  grain  ;  and  when  that  horde  appeared,  following  the 
priests  carrying  their  god-box,  over  all  that  bright  land 
were  peace  and  plenty,  and  the  happiness  these  insure. 
Then  Jehovah  spoke,  and  gave  this  land  to  his  followers. 
They  must  take  it  by  the  sword,  and  he  would  go  with 
them.  He  would  even  lengthen  the  day  by  causing  the 
sun  to  stand  still  in  the  heavens,  that  they  might  have 
more  time  to  murder.  Spare  no  man,  was  the  blood- 
thirsty order.  Kill  men,  women,  and  children,  except 
the  virgins,  whom  they  had  better  have  killed.  The 
white  hairs  of  age,  the  prattling  babe,  the  strong  man, 
and  the  pleading  woman — all  the  people  of  a  province, 
the  most  lovely  and  happy  the  sun  ever  shone  upon,  con- 
signed to  butchery,  that  this  chosen  people  of  Jehovah 
might  despoil  them  of  their  homes  ! 

History  is  just ;  for  the  Jehovah  who  urged  this  deed, 
when  his  people  became  possessed  of  that  laud,  and  had 
erected  a  gorgeous  temple  for  his  dwelling,  submitted 


28  THE    KELIGIOK    OF   MAS'. 

to  the  ignominy  of  their  captivity,  and  heard  their  vain 
cries  from  the  slavery  of  Babylon. 

In  the  age  of  his  glory,  he  could  say  that  he  trod  the 
winepress  of  the  gory  nations  alone,  and  his  garments 
were  red  with  the  blood  of  the  slain.  ' '  I  will  dash  them 
one  against  another,  even  the  fathers  and  the  sons  to- 
gether, saith  the  Lord  :  I  will  not  pity,  nor  spare,  nor 
have  mercy,  but  destroy  them."  With  mighty  boast 
constantly  repeated,  he  called  his  Jewish  people  his 
chosen  ones,  who  were  to  own  the  earth,  and  to  whom 
all  nations  were  to  bow.  The  temple  they  had  built 
would  become  the  world's  shrine,  and  into  their  laps  the 
products  of  all  climes  would  be  poured  as  a  peace 
offering. 

Great  promises  egotistic  boasting  of  proud  rascality, 
abject  selfishness,  and  shameless  crimes — all  gone.  The 
Jewish  tribes  receive  justice  at  the  hands  of  time,  and 
the  slaughtered  warriors  and  innocent  babes  of  Canaan 
are  avenged.  Scattered  from  their  country,  as  chaff 
before  a  strong  wind,  is  that  people  who,  ejected  from 
the  land  of  the  Nile,  came  over  the  desert,  with  that 
god-box  slung  on  poles,  to  the  promised  land.  They 
have  received,  instead  of  homage  and  titles,  the  scorn 
of  the  world  and  the  buffets  of  all  people,  aliens  and 
foreigners,  wherever  they  go.  Their  country  is  little 
better  than  a  desert ;  the  city  of  their  pride  is  half  in 
ruins,  and  of  no  consequence  except  as  a  relic  ;  the  boast- 
ed temple  vanished  in  dust  ;  and  Jehovah — dead,  and 
not  even  the  box  borne  over  the  desert  by  the  sweating 
priests  remains  for  decent  sepulchre  ! 

Are  the  gods  all  dead?  Nay  ;  they  may  die,  but  they 
reappear  in  other  forms  and  under  new  names.  The 
monotheism  of  the  Jews  was  modified  into  the  trinity 
of  Christianity.  The  Father  God  was  supplemented  by 


THE   DEAD   GODS   AND   THE   LIVING   MAN.  29 

the  Son  Jesus  Christ ;  and  the  third  person  was  estab- 
lished in  the  Holy  Ghost,  a  sort  of  second  emanation 
from  the  Father.  It  was  a  strange  conception,  at  which 
human  reason  revolted.  How  God  could  be  his  own 
son  or  Jesus  his  own  father,  how  one  could  be  three  or 
three  one,  was  a  mystery  which  to  attempt  to  solve  was 
a  sin.  The  difficulty  was  overcome  by  the  church 
Fathers  teaching  that  belief  should  come  without  exam- 
ination— in  the  words  of  Celsus,  neither  giving  nor  re- 
ceiving any  reason  for  tbeir  faith.  Julian,  the  last  of 
the  philosophers,  gays  that  "  the  sum  of  all  their  wis- 
dom was  comprised  in  the  single  precept  believe." 

That  belief  was  considered  praiseworthy  which  re- 
ceived the  most  incredible  statements.  As  Tertullian 
says  :  "  I  maintain  that  God  died.  Well,  that  is  wholly 
credible,  because  it  is  monstrously  absurd.  I  maintain 
that,  after  having  been  buried,  he  rose  again  ;  and  that 
I  take  to  be  absolutely  true,  because  it  was  manifestly 
impossible." 

Founded  on  such  an  all-receiving  credulity,  the  new 
doctrines  grew.  The  Godhead  became  strong,  and  for 
nearly  two  thousand  years  tyrannized  over  the  minds  of 
men.  It  stripped  the  dead  gods  of  their  garments, 
with  which  it  clothed  itself,  and  paraded  before  the 
world. 

The  Emperor  Constantino — Constantino  the  Great,  as 
the  early  Church  delighted  to  call  him — after  a  life  of 
most  atrocious  crimes,  assassinations,  perjury,  and  mur- 
ders, with  the  blood  of  his  wife  and  son  on  his  hands, 
called  on  the  pagan  priests  for  absolution.  They  told 
him  that  for  such  crimes  they  could  not  save  him  from 
the  vengeance  of  the  gods.  Then  it  was  he  turned  to 
a  priest  of  the  new  Christian  faith,  and  was  assured  that, 
however  great  his  villainy,  if  he  professed  belief,  he 


30  THE   RELIGION   OF   MAH. 

would  become  pure  and  spotless.  From  that  moment 
he  declared  himself  the  protector  of  the  new  sect. 
With  him  began  persecution  for  free  thought.  In 
Tain,  says  Renan,  to  search  the  Roman  laws  before  his 
time  for  enactments  against  abstract  doctrine.  He 
brought  persecution  and  the  sword. 

Then  came  the  carnival  of  theology.  The  night  of 
ignorance  rapidly  gathered  over  the  world.  The  phil- 
osophers, sages,  poets,  orators,  statesmen,  perished  ; 
and  none  arose  to  take  their  places.  Men  stopped  in 
worthier  pursuits  to  wrangle  over  the  most  indifferent 
distinctions  of  creeds.  The  fantastic  speculations  of 
Asia  were  grafted  on  the  growing  stem  ;  and  it  bore  as 
fruitage  a  complicated  system  of  theology,  the  despair 
of  reason.  This  theology  taught  that  man  was  created 
perfect,  and  fell.  Hating  committed  an  infinite  sin, 
only  an  infinite  sacrifice  could  atone  therefor.  God 
himself  must  suffer,  and  did  Buffer  on  the  cross,  that  sin- 
ners might  be  saved  thereby. 

The  Hindu  Siva  was  transformed  into  Satan,  the 
Greek  Hades  into  hell,  and  the  priesthood,  not  content 
with  ruling  this  life,  claimed  possession  of  the  keys  of 
the  next.  They  decided  who  should  be  saved,  who  lost. 
This  life  was  at  best  a  vale  of  tears,  and  the  horizon  of 
its  brief  day  was  lurid  by  the  reflection  of  the  gulf  of 
hell.  Only  a  chosen  few  were  to  be  saved.  The  great 
current  of  humanity  swept  onward,  broad  and  deep  as 
a  mighty  Amazon,  and  poured  over  the  edge  of  the  gulf 
of  death  into  the  abyss  of  hell.  There  was  no  respite, 
no  forgiveness,  but  eternal  torture.  And  God — who,  in 
his  all  wisdom  and  power,  might  by  a  thought  change 
all  to  Eden — smiled  at  the  Buffering  he  had  created  !  I 
need  not  enlarge  on  this  awful  picture,  nor  mention  the 
minor  doctrines  which  sprang  from  the  fundamental  be- 


THE    DEAD   GODS   AND   THE   LIVING   MAN".  31 

lief  in  the  fall  of  man.  For  a  thousand  years  or  more 
the  nations  calling  themselves  Christians  suffered  the 
chronic  spasms  of  theological  nightmare,  and  cast  aside 
the  real  world  for  dreams.  It  was  enough  if  God  com- 
manded through  the  most  ignorant  priest.  To  hear  was 
to  obey.  Europe  became  a  battle-field,  where  the  con- 
tending armies  decided  the  whims  of  doctrine  by  the 
sword.  The  dungeon,  the  rack,  the  fagot,  were  the 
chosen  means  for  conversion  of  heretics.  If  belief  was 
the  one  thing  required,  and  simple  belief  saved  the  soul 
from  hell,  it  were  better  received  at  the  hands  of  the 
inquisitor  than  not  at  all  !  Beautiful  theory,  the  cul- 
mination of  this  system  of  theology  ! 

Here  is  a  little  instrument  into  which,  like  the  ends 
of  the  fingers  of  a  glove,  you  place  your  fingers.  There 
is  a  screw  on  top  pressing  down  on  the  sensitive  nails. 
You  can  bear  one  or  two  turns  of  the  screw.  "  Do  you 
believe  now  that  three  times  one  are  one,  and  that  Jesus 
Christ  was  his  own  father?"  "No."  Another  turn, 
that  starts  the  blood.  You  wince,  but  say,  "  No." 
Then  the  priest  says  he  must  save  you,  and  turns  down 
until  the  nails  start.  ' '  Now  do  you  believe  ?"  "  Yes, '  * 
you  cry  through  the  white  lips  of  pain — "  yes."  Then 
you  are  saved,  you  are  a  Christian. 

Saved  from  what  ?  Hell  and  the  devil ;  for,  mark  you, 
now  the  devil  is  first  in  the  Godhead.  He  captures  nine 
souls  out  of  ten,  and  the  other  narrowly  escapes.  Not 
only  was  Europe  a  battle-field,  her  hill-sides  whitened 
with  the  bones  of  the  slain  and  the  air  darkened  with 
the  smoke  of  burning  cities  :  she  precipitated  her  hosts 
against  Asia,  in  a  useless  effort  to  gain  the  sepulchre  of 
God,  and  wasted  a  million  lives  in  the  vain  effort. 

What  a  stifling  night  was  that  when  the  Church  with 
its  theology  reigned  supreme,  and  lorded  over  the  minds 


32  THE    RELIGION   OF   MAN. 

of  men  !  To  think  became  a  crime,  and  the  all-believ- 
ing fool  the  type  of  Christian  grace.  At  the  time  Gior- 
dano Bruno  was  burned  at  the  stake,  because  he  thought, 
the  darkness  seemed  impenetrable,  and  poor  humanity 
•without  effort  to  free  itself  from  the  fetters  of  darkness. 
What  was  there  to  save  in  this  ever  downward  course  of 
bigotry  and  superstition?  What  power  could  free  the 
mind  from  its  fear  of  God,  the  devil,  and  the  priests? 

Knowledge  came.  One  thing  had  been  left  out  of 
count  when  the  God-appointed  hierarchy  bound  man- 
kind. They  forgot  that  thinking  was  man's  heritage. 
Set  him  to  counting  his  beads  and  praying  over  dead 
saints,  he  will  weary  after  a  time,  and  begin  a  new  order 
of  thought  for  himself.  Then  have  a  care  ;  for  when 
he  begins  to  think,  the  old  boundaries  will  not  confine 
him. 

Knowledge  came.  Knowledge,  calm  of  brow,  clear 
of  eye,  the  earth  beneath  her  feet,  the  stars  for  a  dia- 
dem, bowing  before  no  shrine,  offering  prayers  to  no 
superior  power,  uncompromising  with  ignorance,  pity- 
ing credulity,  scorning  unsupported  belief,  came  like 
the  dawning  sun  ;  and  darkness,  bigotry,  and  supersti- 
tion vanished  as  wreaths  of  fog  in  the  light  of  morning. 

Knowledge  came,  asking  no  favors  of  king  or  priest, 
in  the  proud  consciousness  of  invincible  strength  ;  and 
the  fetters  which  bound  the  nations  broke  like  bands  of 
straw.  Knowledge  came  ;  and  Theology,  which  had 
grasped  the  throat  of  humanity  and  held  it  in  the  dust, 
loosened  its  hold.  Mankind  awoke  from  the  stupor  of 
ages.  Against  the  black  background  of  the  past  it  saw 
innumerable  gibbets  from  which  its  thinkers  swung,  the 
scaffold  still  gory  with  its  best  blood,  the  smoke  of  the 
dying  fagots  ;  and  hailed  with  shouts  of  joy  the  advent 
of  knowledge  as  the  true  saviour.  The  hordes  of  su- 


THE    DEAD   GODS   AND   THE    LIVING    MAN".  33 

perstition  are  pushed  back,  snarling  with  thirst  of  hate's 
slanderous  tongue  ;  and  their  gods  are  incapable  of  ar- 
resting the  flood  of  light  which  overthrows  the  teachings 
of  fifty  generations  of  their  devotees. 

Ahrimanes,  Siva,  Satan,  the  poor  devil,  was  first  to 
die.  Robbed  of  his  horns  and  cloven  foot ;  resolved 
into  a  human  being,  with  some  excellent  qualities  ;  re- 
solved into  a  myth,  the  impersonation  of  a  principle — 
he  disappears,  leaving  not  even  a  shadow.  Jesus,  the 
Christ,  the  Son,  the  Saviour,  the  central  embodiment 
of  the  legends  of  Adonis,  of  Horus,  of  Christna,  of 
Prometheus,  of  Mithras,  of  Hermes — freed  from  which, 
he  becomes  a  self-sacrificing,  true,  and  noble  man,  giv- 
ing his  life  for  the  good  of  others,  in  the  same  manner 
that  they  have  done. 

The  God  who  created  all  things  in  six  days,  and  sat  a 
personal  ruler,  like  an  Asiatic  tyrant,  on  the  throne  of 
the  universe,  could  not  endure  the  presence  of  Knowl- 
edge. The  Infinite  cannot  be  circumscribed,  nor  calcu- 
late and  plan.  The  Infinite  must  know  without  thought, 
and  think  without  reason.  The  terrible  beliefs  which 
have  wrung  the  soul  ;  the  creeds  against  which  the 
heart  has  rebelled,  amid  torture  ;  doctrines  on  which 
eternal  welfare,  it  was  taught,  depended — long  since 
dead,  are  galvanized  for  the  last  time  into  mimicry  of 
life.  Poor  dead  beliefs — the  fall  of  man  and  his  re- 
demption through  the  blood  of  another,  and  all  that  per- 
tains  thereto  !  Dead,  and,  dragged  after  the  ignorant, 
tortured  into  the  grimace  of  life  !  It  would  be  a  dread- 
ful spectacle  for  a  man  to  have  the  corse  of  his  dearest 
friend  bound  to  him.  Still  more  dreadful  to  be  fettered 
to  a  dead  creed,  a  dead  belief,  and  obliged  to  drag  it 
after  him. 

The  power  has  departed  ;  and  the  anathema,  "  Be- 


34  THE    EELIGIOK   OF   MAN. 

lieve  or  be  damned,"  is  the  threat  of  impotency.  The 
fiery  tongue  of  flame  cannot  be  used  to  compel  faith  ; 
but  the  old  hate  is  retained  by  the  old  ignorance,  not 
yet  quite  driven  out  of  the  world. 

In  the  churches  of  to-day,  the  preachers  hold  the 
corses  on  their  feet,  dried  into  mummies,  and  make  be- 
lieve they  are  alive.  They  grin  with  the  horrid  contor- 
tion which  shows  the  pangs  felt  in  the  olden  time  by 
many  a  martyr.  The  audiences  make  believe  they  enjoy 
the  spectacle,  and  that  the  preachers  are  honest.  It  ap- 
pears well,  but  is  all  a  sham  and  a  farce.  A  spectacle  at 
which  we  may  laugh  or  weep — a  preacher,  with  dead 
ideas,  preaching  to  a  dead  church. 

Shall  we  weep  at  the  fleeting  glory  of  gods,  and  turn 
aside,  saying,  Life  is  a  cold  reality  ;  there  is  no  warmth 
in  this  certainty  ?  Of  all  impotent  cries  of  weakness, 
this  of  want  of  warmth  is  the  most  impotent.  What 
has  it  to  do  with  the  matter  ?  The  truth  comes  ;  we 
have  no  question  whether  it  pulsates  with  love  or  the 
cold  certainty  of  fact.  A  Saviour's  all-absorbing  love 
may  kindle  the  heart ;  what  of  it?  That  makes  it  not 
true.  There  are  better  ways  of  kindling  the  heart  than 
contemplating  selfishly  the  sacrifices  others  have  made 
for  us.  They  who  are  best  pleased  to  hug  a  delusion, 
even  though  they  know  it  to  be  such,  must  retain  their 
fond  idol.  Knowledge  has  no  dungeon  or  gibbet  ;  she 
abhors  persecution,  and  her  saviour  is  the  growth  which 
is  the  birthright  of  the  soul. 

Slumber  on,  dead  gods,  in  your  eternal  sleep  1  Were 
you  gods,  you  had  not  perished  !  You  were  created 
from  the  minds  of  men,  and  bear  the  impress  of  the 
finite.  Creeds,  dogmas,  beliefs,  doctrines,  moulder  in 
decay  along  the  shore,  like  seaweed  and  salt  sea  spume 
— beautiful  imagings  or  grotesque  and  horrible  as  the 


THE    DEAD   GODS   AND   THE   LIVING    MAN.  35 

misshapen  forms  and  devil-fish  which  are  concealed  in 
the  drift.  Sacred  books — Zend-Avesta,  Vedas,  Shastas, 
King,  Koran— gather  dust  on  your  most  holy  pages  ! 
for,  as  ye  were  written  by  men,  when  men  were  filled 
with  the  superstition  of  ignorance,  better  can  now  be 
written,  if  Bibles  are  required. 

Free  soul,  emancipated  from  the  bonds  of  darkness, 
breathe  full  breath  and  think  without  fear  !  The  god 
of  to-day  scorns  the  cringing  slave,  the  narrow  bigot, 
the  weakness  of  ignorance.  He  demands  a  brave  and 
fearless  mind,  which  accepts  not  defeat,  and  conquers 
the  forces  of  nature  and  binds  them  to  its  will. 

When  we  look  down  this  long  vista,  the  road  over 
which  mankind  has  travelled,  wearily  and  with  pain, 
through  the  countless  centuries,  the  tortures  of  body, 
the  more  refined  and  excruciating  agony  of  spirit,  all 
this  suffering  borne  for  the  gods,  imposed  by  the  gods, 
and,  for  the  sake  of  religion,  to  save  souls  never  lost, 
come  up  before  us  in  one  black  mass  of  world-pervading 
woe,  and  we  say,  Just  is  the  doom  of  such  gods  and  such 
religions  !  Our  temple  of  worship  is  the  universe,  our 
saviour  is  knowledge,  our  religion  to  embody  perfection 
in  our  lives  by  ordering  our  conduct  in  accord  with  the 
laws  of  the  world,  and  our  prayers  for  the  perfect 
strength  and  trust  which  come  from  understanding. 

The  gods  are  dead  !  Their  age  is  past,  never  more  to 
return.  Man  is  in  the  ascendant.  We  are  not  living 
because  of  sin  this  life  is  necessary  for  punishment ; 
not  enduring  this  life  in  order  to  gain  the  glorified  hap- 
piness of  the  next.  This  life  is  a  part  of  the  life  which 
is  to  come,  and  is  for  happiness.  The  doctrine  of  Pes- 
simism, that  there  is  any  value  in  suffering  for  its  own 
sake,  is  replaced  by  the  certain  knowledge  that  suffer- 
ing indicates  violated  law  ;  it  is  the  danger  signal  that 


36  THE    EELIGION    OF   MAtf. 

the  sufferer  is  not  in  harmony  with  the  laws  of  the  world 
and  his  being,  and  is  the  warning  to  get  into  the  path 
from  which  he  has  wandered 

Yet,  such  a  gloomy  view  of  life  has  sprung  from  the 
old  religion  of  pain,  that  the  question  is  seriously  ask- 
ed ;  Is  this  life  worth  the  living  ?  And  the  saddest 
commentary  of  a  mistaken  theology  is  the  fact  that  it 
has  cast  such  a  shadow  of  gloom  over  existence  as  to 
make  the  crushed  heart  moan  a  negative  response.  It 
is  the  answer  of  weakness  and  defeat ;  and  the  melan- 
choly view  of  life  it  expresses  is  a  reflection  of  the  prev- 
alent notions  entertained  by  the  apostles. 

Christianity  came  to  the  Jews  in  the  hour  of  their 
decline,  when  they  were  environed  by  war  and  threat- 
ened by  famine.  It  gained  ascendancy  by  their  defeat 
and  the  destruction  of  the  holy  city.  Its  kingdom  was 
not  of  this  world  ;  for  its  founder,  the  incarnate  God, 
perished  with  malefactors  on  the  ignominious  cross,  and 
its  early  apostles  suffered  martyrdom.  Dungeons  and 
stripes,  contumely  and  scorn,  were  for  its  believers  ;  and 
its  fundamental  doctrine  was  that  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
was  gained  through  tears  and  suffering.  It  came  at 
length  to  be  believed  that  only  through  the  crucifixion 
.of  the  flesh  could  heaven  be  gained.  Poverty  and  filth 
were  praised,  and  thirftlessness  became  equivalent  to 
godliness.  The  Old  Bible  pointed  to  the  ant  as  a 
worthy  example  of  industry  and  forethought ;  the  New, 
to  the  lilies  of  the  valley,  toiling  not3  and  said,  Takq 
no  thought  for  the  morrow.  Give  to  the  poor  all  you 
have,  and  depend  not  on  your  own  exertions,  but  on 
God. 

The  old  religions  had  taught  this  doctrine  ;  and  in 
some  it  had  taken  almost  as  wild  a  course,  yet  in  none 
were  its  evil  consequences  so  far  reaching.  The  East- 


THE    DEAD   GODS    AND   THE    LIVING    MAN.  37 

era  myth  of  the  union  of  the  flesh  with  the  spirit,  and 
the  crucifixion  of  the  former  for  the  purification  of  the 
latter,  became  fixed  as  a  fundamental  dogma  on  which 
the  scheme  of  salvation  rested.  The  flesh — i.e.,  matter, 
was  of  itself  essentially  evil  ;  and  hence  physical  pain 
became  a  means  of  spiritual  purification.  The  hermit, 
flying  from  the  allurements  of  life,  the  flagellant,  the 
ascetic,  became  the  type  of  religious  excellence.  It  was 
a  terrible  view  of  the  world,  justified  by  the  imputed 
sayings  of  Christ.  He  was  never  known  to  laugh  ;  he 
wept.  The  good  Christian  should  be  known  by  his  sol- 
emn face  and  streaming  eyes.  Whatever  gave  amuse- 
ment or  joy  was  of  evil.  Life  was  only  to  be  endured 
because  death  liberated  the  enslaved  spirit.  Jesus  had 
said,  "  Blessed  are  they  that  mourn.  .  .  .  Blessed  are 
ye  when  men  shall  revile  you,  and  persecute  you,  and 
shall  say  all  manner  of  evil  against  you  falsely  for  my 
sake.  Rejoice  and  be  exceeding  glad  ;  for  great  is  your 
reward  in  heaven."  "  Lay  not  up  for  yourselves  treas- 
ures upon  earth,  where  moth  and  rust  doth  corrupt,  and 
where  thieves  break  through  and  steal ;  but  lay  up  your 
treasures  in  heaven,"  etc.  "  But  seek  ye  first  the  king- 
dom of  heaven  and  his  righteousness,  and  all  these  things 
shall  be  added  unto  you."  "  Take,  therefore,  no  thought 
for  the  morrow  ;  for  the  morrow  shall  take  thought  for 
the  things  of  itself.  Sufficient  unto  the  day  is  the  evil 
thereof."  This  doctrine  of  the  times  being  evil  and  the 
body  sinful,  that  the  present  was  only  of  value  as  it  hur- 
ried us  to  the  next  life,  was  fraught  with  momentous 
consequences,  and  moulded  the  thought  of  nineteen  cen- 
turies, and  from  its  influence  we  are  just  escaping.  Under 
its  sway  men  became  wild  with  religious  frenzy.  They 
retired  to  the  wilderness  to  escape  the  temptations  they 
could  not  resist.  They  trampled  under  their  feet  the 


38  THE    RELIGION    OF    MAN. 

most  delicate  sentiments  of  the  heart  as  instigations  of 
Satan.  They  looked  on  woman  in  her  loveliness  as  a 
snare  of  the  arch-deceiver,  and  spurned  her  gentle  infiu- 
,ence  with  unutterable  loathing.  Physical  comfort  was  a 
sin,  and  self-inflicted  pain  a  merit.  Sackcloth,  abrading 
with  every  motion  of  the  wearer,  was  adopted  as  raiment, 
knives  and  thorns  thrust  into  the  flesh,  and  the  inclem- 
ency of  heat  and  cold,  rain  and  snow,  eagerly  courted. 
What  strange  characters  come  in  view,  when  we  go  back 
a  century  or  two  in  history,  produced  by  this  mistaken 
belief  regarding  objects  of  life — the  wild- eyed  flagellant 
lashing  himself  until  the  blood  ran  in  streams,  the 
Stylite  on  the  summit  of  lofty  pillar,  the  monk  counting 
beads,  the  nun  kneeling  day  after  day  on  the  cold,  hard 
stones  to  propitiate  the  Infinite  !  A  great  mistake, 
which  transmitted  a  legacy  of  evil  to  the  present.  There 
lingers  a  prejudice  against  pleasure  which  yet  makes  en- 
joyment next  to  a  sin,  and  constantly  asserts  that  God 
made  a  failure  and  blunder  in  the  character  of  man. 
The  kingdom  of  God  is  to  come,  and  man's  being  on 
earth  is  a  mistake.  He  must  endure  it  as  best  he  may 
until  death  releases  him. 

When  all  the  sunshine  and  joy  are  taken  out  of  life, 
it  is  not  strange  men  think  it  not  worth  the  having. 
When  a  monster  is  placed  on  the  throne  of  the  universe, 
and  man  made  a  puppet  to  dance  to  his  supreme  whim, 
the  earth  becomes  a  gloomy  prison  house  and  life  a  hor- 
rible farce. 

We  may  have  a  strong  conviction  of  the  reality  of  a 
future  life,  yet  not  perceive  any  antagonism  between 
that  life  and  the  present.  The  materialistic  school  that 
cries,  "  One  world  at  a  time,"  receives  its  bias  from  the 
old  ideas  against  which  it  is  a  reaction.  There  is  no 
necessity  of  sacrificing  earth  to  gain  heaven.  The  true 


THE   DEAD   GODS    AND   THE   LIVING    MAN.  39 

and  abiding  love  of  husband  and  wife  for  each  other,  or 
for  the  children  in  whom  their  united  lives  commin- 
gling flow,  is  as  holy  and  sacred  as  the  love  borne  to  God 
himself,  and  as  much  a  part  of  religion.  The  contrary 
would  make  the  adaptation  of  man  to  his  environments 
a  failure,  and  the  infinite  qualities  of  the  Maker,  other- 
wise than  infinite.  These  gloomy  views  of  life  are  rapidly 
disappearing,  and  a  reaction  has  come.  Instead  of  plac- 
ing the  objects  of  life  in  the  future,  the  future  is  ig- 
nored, and  the  present  made  supreme.  Not  sufficient 
for  the  day  is  the  evil  thereof,  but  sufficient  for  the  day 
is  all  the  day  produces ;  the  morrow  is  unknown. 
Hence,  as  life  is  only  a  succession  of  sensations,  some 
pleasing,  others  painful,  the  more  of  the  pleasurable 
sensations  which  can  be  crowded  into  the  few  years  of 
its  continuance,  the  better.  This  materialistic  view 
would  be  complete  had  not  life  a  morrow,  and  a  morrow 
intimately  related  with  to-day.  After  the  full  satisfac- 
tion of  present  wants  there  comes  the  immeasurable 
aspirations  of  the  spirit.  The  physical  world,  bodily 
enjoyment,  or  mental  culture  are  not  all ;  and,  when  so 
regarded,  the  mistake  entails  misery  where  happiness 
was  sought. 

Freeing  ourselves  from  these  erroneous  ideas,  we  are 
prepared  to  answer  the  question  of  what  true  happiness 
consists,  and  how  best  it  may  be  gained.  It  is  the 
primal  desire  of  the  heart,  and  our  constant  efforts  are 
to  gain  it. 

True  happiness  is  a  result  of  our  being  in  accord  with 
the  laws  of  the  world.  When  all  the  physical  forces  of 
nature  and  the  spiritual  energies  move  in  harmonious 
rhythm  through  our  being,  there  is  no  jar  or  conflict 
as  we  are  wafted  onward,  and  the  soul  feels  the  delight 
of  perfect  happiness.  To  arrive  at  this  desired  condi- 


40  THE    RELIGION    OF   MAN. 

tion,  we  must  understand  the  fundamental  principles  of 
creation  and  the  relations  of  God  thereto,  and  of  our- 
selves to  both.  We  may  accept  as  granted  that  the  plan 
of  nature,  whatever  idea  be  received  of  God,  is  perfect, 
and  man  as  a  part  of  nature  is  a  unit  therewith.  There 
can  be  no  break  in  the  continuity  of  being,  and  hence 
his  adaptation  to  the  physical  world  must  be  regarded 
in  the  same  light  as  the  adaptation  of  his  spiritual  fac- 
ulties to  a  spiritual  life.  Man  as  a  dual  being,  a  physi- 
cal and  spiritual,  faces  two  worlds,  and  is  amenable  to 
the  laws  of  both.  As  such,  he  must  conform  his  life  so 
that  it  will  accord  with  both  these  states.  He  must  un- 
derstand that  obedience  to  the  laws  of  physical  health  is 
as  obligatory  and  as  much  a  part  of  religion  as  obedience 
to  moral  laws.  Perfect  health  is  a  primary  element  of 
moral  excellence. 

Hence  it  is  that  men,  laboring  under  the  mistaken 
theory  which  left  the  physical  life  out  of  its  scheme, 
have  fallen  into  grievous  blunders.  Had  not  Calvin  been 
physically  diseased,  he  would  not  have  burned  Servetus. 
A  jaundiced  theology  was  the  offspring  of  a  jaundiced 
preacher.  Gall  in  the  blood  embittered  the  mind,  and 
bred  intolerance  and  hate.  There  was  a  gospel  these 
teachers  knew  not  of,  the  gospel  of  health.  The  teach- 
ers of  the  world  have  taught  that  happiness  was  not  to 
be  sought  in  this  life,  which  at  best  is  a  vale  of  tears, 
and  only  came  as  a  reflection  from  the  perfect  peace 
which  comes  from  abject  contentment  with  the  decrees 
of  fate,  after  assurance  of  having  gained  a  passport  to 
the  future.  We  are  assured  that s  the  world  was  not 
created  nor  is  sustained  by  any  such  artificial  or  arbi- 
trary plan  ;  and  abjectness  and  contentment,  growing 
out  of  dwarfishness,  are  not  in  nature's  creed. 

"  Give  us  health  !"  cries  Nature.     "No  puny  sickl ings, 


THE    DEAD    GODS   AND   THE    LIVING   MAN.  41 

but  the  bounding  pulse  of  fresh  blood,  the  firm  muscle, 
the  quick  nerve.  When  the  songsters  come  up  from 
the  South  to  greet  the  spring,  their  voices  gladdening 
hill  and  dale,  there  is  no  weak  note,  no  feeble  wail,  but 
the  fulness  of  strength.  The  pride  of  the  forest,  the 
sleek  denizens  of  the  wild,  have  no  refined  pleasures  ; 
but  all  they  have  flow  from  the  perfection  of  physical 
being. 

One  lacerated  nerve  makes  life  a  martyrdom.  The 
luxuries  of  wealth  are  indifferent,  the  softest  down  a  bed 
of  nettles,  the  costliest  viands  tasteless  to  one  diseased. 
And  yet,  ignorant  of  the  primary  conditions  of  happi- 
ness, how  many  lose  their  hope  of  gaining  it  in  their  at- 
tempt to  grasp  it ! 

Is  it  through  the  appetite,  the  delicate  food  which 
tempts  the  palate,  the  seasoned  dishes,  the  blendings  of 
many  flavors  ?  The  time  soon  comes  when  the  taste  re- 
fuses to  be  pleased,  and  dyspepsia  takes  the  place  of  di- 
gestion. The  crust  is  sweeter  to  the  hungry  than  rich- 
est viands  to  the  palled  tongue. 

Rare  wines,  distilled  by  the  sun,  with  delicate  flavors, 
are  sipped  with  mirth  and  gossip  of  fair  lips  ;  but  at  the 
bottom  of  the  ruby  cup  is  a  serpent  whose  sting  creates 
unquenchable  thirst.  How  many  mistake  the  means  of 
happiness,  and  drift  insensibly  into  the  resistless  tide  ! 
The  hungry  nor  the  thirsty  man  cannot  be  happy.  He 
must  have  food,  and  that  of  the  proper  kind,  else  disease 
and  ultimately  death  follow. 

As  happiness  springs  from  the  full  and  perfect  expres- 
sion of  the  laws  of  our  being,  and  as  such  expression  is 
in  accord  with  the  plan  of  nature,  it  follows  that  hap- 
piness is  the  natural  estate,  and  misery  or  pain  the  un- 
natural. Talk  of  the  saving  power  of  pain  !  Pain  has 
no  saving  power.  Happiness  is  not  built  on  misery. 


42  THE    KELIGIOK    OF   MAK. 

People  talk  as  though  they  expected  a  reward  for  suffer- 
ing, when  the  very  suffering  shows  a  wrong  which,  if 
righted,  changes  pain  to  joy.  Yet  they  count  their  pains, 
disappointments,  and  measure  their  tears  as  treasures 
laid  up  in  heaven,  which  are  good  at  sight  with  heavy 
interest  for  answering  joy.  A  man  may  be  a  victim  of 
chronic  sickness  for  a  score  of  years  and  daily  racked 
with  physical  torture,  is  it  not  his  loss  ?  How  can  he 
be  repaid  ?  Crowd  his  after  years  with  all  the  heart 
may  desire,  and  this  loss  cannot  be  made  good  ;  for  life 
should  be  replete  with  its  just  demands  fully  met,  and 
its  cup  cannot  overflow.  Why  should  he  be  rewarded 
for  a  sin  against  the  laws  of  health  ?  When  we  walk  in 
accord  with  the  laws  of  our  being,  the  very  fulfilment 
of  these  requirements  brings  delight.  We  are  athirst, 
and  with  what  exquisite  delight  we  drink  the  crystal 
water  !  We  hunger,  and  how  delicious  the  plainest  food  ! 
We  desire  to  breathe,  and  what  joy  to  inflate  fully  the 
lungs  with  the  pure  air  !  Health  is  next  to  heaven,  and 
with  it  we  are  in  unison  with  the  material  world.  The 
beat  of  its  pulse  vibrates  through  our  being,  chord  re- 
sponding to  chord.  Thus  have  we  felt  when  on  some 
lofty  mountain  top,  the  world  at  our  feet,  the  blue  sky 
overhead,  fading  and  melting  into  the  distant  mountain 
ridges,  the  crisp  air  like  wine,  and  to  the  beauties  every- 
where around  us  our  being  responding.  Then,  life  was 
a  song  of  joy,  and  to  exist  the  supreme  delight. 

But  how  shall  we  keep  ourselves  in  accord  with  the 
laws  of  our  being  ?  Ah  !  true,  most  momentous  question  ; 
for  we  are  ignorant  of  those  laws  and  conditions,  and 
we  inherit  the  results  of  the  ignorance  of  our  ancestors. 
We  are  the  results  of  all  the  actions  of  our  parents,  and 
the  conditions  by  which  they  were  surrounded,  of  their 
parents  and  of  theirs,  back  to  remotest  time.  All 


THE   DEAD   GODS   AND   THE   LIVING    MAN.  43 

these  through  them  have  flowed  down  to  and  become 
embodied  in  us.  We  drag  the  results  of  their  transgres- 
sions after  us,  and  cannot  escape  them. 

This  ignorance,  this  mass  of  festering  inherited  wrong- 
doing, makes  us  lose  faith  in  the  final  justness  of  law 
and  become  pessimists,  cravenly  submitting  to  tl|e  in- 
evitable. This  mental  darkness  is  dispelled  by  the  light 
of  knowledge.  To  know  is  the  birthright  of  the  mind 
of  man.  The  Infinite  are  its  boundaries.  Whatever  In- 
telligence has  planned,  Intelligence  as  expressed  in  man 
has  the  right  to  know,  and  the  capability  of  knowing. 

When  the  Sun  of  Knowledge  shines  from  the  zenith 
of  the  cloudless  heavens,  and  there  remains  no  dark 
shadow  of  ignorance  behind  which  superstition  may 
linger,  then  man  will  find  that  restful  peace  in  the 
certainty  of  law  and  order,  the  devotee  now  receives 
from  his  blind  faith  in  salvation  by  the  cross.  Then 
will  have  perished  the  Religion  of  Pain,  which  has 
through  past  ages  held  mankind  on  its  rack  of  torture, 
and  will  have  dawned  in  the  millennial  day,  which  is 
not  divine,  but  essentially  human,  the  RELIGION  OF  JOY. 


lART'N; 


44  THE   RELIGION   OF  MAN. 

I. 

BELIGION. 

That  matter  called  the  Christian  religion  was  in  existence  among 
the  ancients  ;  it  has  never  been  wanting  since  the  beginning  of 
the  human  race. — ST.  AUGUSTINE. 

Change  rides  upon  the  wings  of  Time — 

A  regal  artist,  dumb  and  still, 
Who  visits  God's  remotest  clime, 

And  sculptures  matter  to  her  will. 

—EMMA  TUTTLE. 

HISTORY  yields  no  example  of  a  motive  actuating  man 
stronger  than  religion.  All  the  most  holy  and  sacred 
emotions  of  the  heart  bow  to  it  in  abject  servitude. 
Love  of  friends,  of  family,  of  country,  is  as  nothing 
compared  with  religious  faith.  The  tender  appeal  of 
childhood,  the  fond  embrace  of  conjugal  affection,  the 
pleading  voice  of  fraternal  ties,  are  at  once  cast  aside  by 
the  devotee  blind  to  all  perception  and  calloused  to  all 
the  influences  which  usually  sway  the  human  heart. 
Bound  to  the  stake,  the  martyr  smiles  at  the  excruciat- 
ing pain,  and  his  soul  ascends  in  the  lurid  flames  chant- 
ing hymns  of  victory.  It  is  one  of  the  first  faculties 
awakened  in  the  mind — Protean  in  its  forms,  and  ever 
triumphant.  The  hero  who,  unwavering,  rushes  against 
serried  ranks  of  bayonets,  or  unappalled  storms  the 
redoubt  crowned  with  deep-throated  cannon,  condemned 
by  his  religion,  quaking  with  fear,  falls  prostrate,  and 
with  white  lips  cries  frantically  for  pardon  to  an  offend- 
ed God.  Religion  demands  monasteries  filled  with 
monks  and  convents  with  nuns  vowed  to  celibacy  ;  and 


RELIGION.  45 

thousands  rush  to  their  lonely  cells  and  suffer  through 
their  mortal  lives  the  imposition  of  the  most  revolting 
requirements.  It  asks  the  wife  to  ascend  the  funeral 
pyre  of  her  husband,  and  she  herself  applies  the  torch. 
It  asks  its  devotee  to  cast  himself  into  the  Ganges  or 
beneath  the  Car  of  Juggernaut,  and  its  voice  is  obeyed 
with  joy.  It  destroys  the  humanity  of  its  recipient, 
transforming  him  into  a  blind  fanatic  and  too  often  an 
avenging  fiend,  who  will  sacrifice  all  the  human  heart 
holds  dear  on  the  altar  of  its  f  aith. 

Such  being  its  wonderful  power,  we  ask,  What  is  Re- 
ligion ? 

The  world  gives  a  multitude  of  diverse  answers.  In 
the  sense  in  which  the  word  is  usually  employed,  it  means 
the  peculiar  beliefs  in  the  form  and  essence  of  God,  and 
the  ceremonials  of  his  worship,  entertained  by  any  par- 
ticular people.  In  this  sense  it  is  distinct  from  moral- 
ity, which  relates  to  actual  life.  Each  great  race  of 
mankind,  by  organization  evolving  a  different  mental- 
ity and  a  varying  moral  code,  answers  the  question  after 
its  own  manner.  The  Hindu  declares  religion  to  be 
believing  on  Cristna  and  the  Holy  Books,  in  keeping 
caste  with  the  scrupulousness  of  olden  times,  observing 
the  ceremonies  prescribed,  repeating  long  prayers,  pil- 
grimages to  holy  cities  and  rivers,  and  blind  obedience  to 
the  priesthood.  The  Persian  answers  that  belief  in  Zoro- 
aster and  the  sacred  Zend  Avesta,  the  repetition  of  pray- 
ers, and  the  feeding  of  the  sacred  fires,  are  all  essential. 

The  Chinese  believe  in  Confucius  ;  the  Moslem,  in 
Mohammed  ;  the  Jew,  in  Moses  and  the  Prophets.  The 
Hindu  has  his  Shaster  ;  the  Persian,  his  Zend  Avesta  ; 
the  Mohammedan,  his  Al-Koran  ;  the  Jew,  his  Old 
Testament ;  the  Christian,  his  New  Testament — all 
claiming  divine  and  infallible  inspiration.  All  have 


46  THE    RELIGION    OF   MAN. 

their  divine  men — their  saviours — to  believe  in  whom  is 
sufficient  for  salvation.  Each  has  a  supreme  God  jeal- 
ous of  other  people's  gods.  Brahma,  Ormuzd,  Jehovah, 
apparently  rest  on  the  same  foundation — blind  faith. 

Christianity  is  not  a  unit  in  its  answer.  There  is  a 
wide  disparity  between  Catholic  and  Protestant,  and  the 
sects  into  which  the  latter  is  divided  reply  with  count- 
less discordant  voices. 

The  Mother  Church  replies  :  Belief  in  the  divinity  of 
Jesus  and  the  virginity  of  Mary,  crucifixion  of  the  body, 
punctual  attendance  at  church,  and  undoubting  belief 
and  co-operation  in  the  forms  of  its  fantastic  worship. 
The  Protestants  make  religion  to  consist  of  faith,  grace, 
baptism,  belief  in  Christ  as  the  Saviour,  the  Bible  as 
the  Word  of  God,  and  various  other  dogmas,  until,  in 
the  confusion,  no  decision  can  be  arrived  at.  If  bap- 
tism is  essential,  either  immersion  or  sprinkling  is  wrong, 
and  the  followers  of  one  or  the  other  of  these  modes 
are  not  fulfilling  God's  law.  If  good  deeds  are  worth- 
less and  faith  is  everything,  those  who  rely  on  an  upright 
life  have  built  their  houses  on  the  sands.  Should  good 
deeds  prove  of  more  avail  than  faith,  the  opposite  host 
must  eternally  suffer. 

All — Brahmin,  Buddhist,  Persian,  Moslem,  Jew, 
Catholic,  Baptist,  Presbyterian,  Methodist,  down  to  the 
smallest  and  most  obscure  sect — are  equally  willing  to 
sanctify  and  prove  their  dogmas  with  their  lives.  Mar- 
tyrs are  the  cheapest  product  of  mankind,  and  the  most 
meaningless.  They  have  sealed  with  their  blood  the 
greatest  follies  with  a  zeal  which  proves  nothing  but 
their  ignorance  and  fanaticism. 

Ah  !  Keligion,  are  you  only  a  name,  changeable  to 
the  varying  requirements  of  the  time— the  convenience 
and  selfishness  of  men  ?  Broad  and  deep  has  been  the 


RELIGION.  47 

gulf  between  what  has  been  called  religion  and  moral- 
ity, and  a  designing  priesthood  has  ever  sought  to 
deepen  and  widen  it,  and  break  down  any  bridge  adven- 
turous thinkers  might  seek  to  throw  across.  Obedience 
to  moral  commands,  unless  such  obedience  has  special 
reference  to  the  Divine  will,  is  said  not  to  be  religion, 
which  is  "  real  piety  in  practice,  consisting  in  the  per- 
formance of  all  known  duties  to  God  and  our  fellow- 
men,  in  obedience  to  Divine  command,  or  from  love  to 
God  and  his  law." 

The  questions  arise,  What  is  obedience?  How  are 
we  to  know  the  will  of  God  ?  What  duties  do  wo  owe 
to  him  ?  What  is  piety  ? 

This  definition  is  as  broad  as  the  world,  and  narrow 
as  the  most  selfish  bigot  can  wish.  It  applies  to  the 
pow-wow  of  the  Red  Indian  as  well  as  to  the  prayers  of 
Christians — the  pilgrimage  to  Mecca  as  well  as  that  to 
the  Holy  Sepulchre.  To  be  religious  is  to  observe  the 
methods  of  worship  of  one's  country.  A  Mohammedan 
may  be  very  pious  at  Constantinople,  but  he  would  be 
an  Infidel  in  New  York.  At  Constantinople  the  Pope 
himself  would  be  an  Infidel  dog.  The  pious  Trinita- 
rian does  not  consider  the  Unitarian  better  than  an  In- 
fidel. Eeligion  is,  then,  the  worship  of  Joss-sticks — not 
for  ourselves,  but  to  please  God. 

The  Infinite  One  becomes  offended  if  we  do  not  sink 
our  selfhood  in  him  ! 

Out  of  this  slough  there  is  one  method  of  escape — by 
another  assertion.  The  Bible  furnishes  a  code,  God- 
given,  which  man  must  obey.  This  satisfies  until  other 
races  produce  their  several  sacred  books,  with  equally 
positive  evidence  of  their  truthfulness  ;  and  it  is  learned 
that  all  the  vital  moral  precepts  were  well  understood 
before  these  sacred  books  were  written,  and  that  unless 


48  THE    RELIGION   OF   MAN. 

the  capabilities  for  morality  exist  in  the  mind,  there  can 
be  no  revelation  of  moral  obligations  even  by  a  God. 

The  religious  views  entertained  by  the  Christian  world 
are  a  chain  of  unwarrantable  assertions.  Being  lost  from 
God,  getting  saved,  getting  nearer  to  God,  being  restored 
to  God,  form  a  mass  of  verbiage,  meaningless  or  false. 
Can  man  be  lost  from  an  all-pervading,  infinite  Father  ? 

Not  only  is  such  a  religion  humiliating — it  is  absolute- 
ly immoral.  The  ceremony  quickly  comes  to  stand  for 
the  practice  of  virtue  ;  the  ritual  takes  the  place  of 
deeds  ;  the  man  encased  in  impenetrable  formulae  and 
truth  departs. 

The  Bible  is  interpreted  by  the  sects  very  differently. 
If  our  eternal  salvation  depends  on  obeying  the  laws  of 
God  for  his  own  sake,  the  choice  of  the  sect  with  which 
we  cast  our  fortunes,  and  the  interpretation  we  accept,  are 
fraught  with  momentous  consequences — no  less  than 
our  eternal  happiness  or  misery.  Yet  are  we  left  to 
stumble  in  darkness  and  doubt,  and  find  it  impossible  to 
decide  from  the  evidence  furnished  us.  Whose  fault  is 
it — the  Infidel's,  who  cannot  receive  the  evidence,  or  the 
Infinite  God's,  who  furnishes  it  in  so  imperfect  a  man- 
ner ?  If  God  has  made  a  revelation,  it  is  because  he  saw 
its  necessity,  and  a  part  of  that  necessity  is  that  it  must 
be  in  such  a  form  as  will  be  received  ;  otherwise  it  an- 
swers not  the  ends  designed,  and  is  useless. 

On  the  Bible,  as  an  absolute  inspiration  from  God,  the 
Christian  Churches  found  their  claims.  As  they  discard 
reason,  they  have  no  right  to  use  it  in  determining  the 
character  of  this  revelation.  By  their  acknowledgment 
that  man  cannot  gain  a  knowledge  of  truth  by  other 
methods,  they  are  compelled  to  base  their  systems  on  its 
authority.  Having  thus  planted  themselves,  they  one 
and  all  arrogate  dictatorship  in  religious  matters.  Even 


RELIGION.  49 

the  most  liberal  in  their  creeds  and  dogmatic  formulae 
claim  the  power  of  commendation  and  denunciation. 
They  are  right,  and  all  who  disagree  are  wrong,  and  sub- 
jects for  hell.  The  Catholic  regards  all  Protestants  as 
led  astray  by  the  Evil  One,  while  the  Protestant  feels 
assured  that  the  Catholic  Church  is  the  Scarlet  Woman 
of  Babylon.  Both  summarily  condemn  the  freethinker, 
philosopher,  and  scientist,  as  hopeless  Infidels.  Such  is 
the  force  of  education,  that  the  arrogance  of  the  Church 
has  been  in  a  measure  acquiesced  in,  and  a  tacit  admis- 
sion of  her  right  granted  ;  but  we  ask  how  and  when  the 
Church  received  such  power  ? 

What  is  the  Church  ?  An  aggregation  of  individuals, 
for  the  object  of  religious  instruction  and  propagation 
of  religious  ideas.  The  Christian  Churches  gather 
around  the  conception  of  Christ  an  incarnation  of  God. 
Their  authority  is  the  Bible.  But  the  Bible  nowhere 
even  mentions  a  church  in  the  modern  sense.  Jesus,  so 
far  from  being  a  model  of,  was  the  antipodes  of  church 
spirit.  He  gathered  a  few  fishermen  around  him,  and 
taught  wherever  he  found  a  willing  mind  to  receive.  He 
cast  aside  all  ceremonies  and  rites.  The  observance  of 
the  Sabbath  was  to  him  an  idle  tale.  He  abolished  the 
sacrifices,  the  prayer  at  set  times  and  seasons,  holding 
only  the  absolute  principles  of  morality.  He  bestowed 
no  power  on  his  disciples  that  the  most  ordinary  men 
did  not  possess.  The  strength  of  the  argument  rests  on 
a  single  text  founding  the  Church  on  Simon  Peter,  which 
their  own  critics  now  pronounce  spurious. 

Nowhere  in  the  Gospels  has  Christ  sanctioned  any- 
thing except  pure  and  exalted  morality.  Baptism  and 
the  Supper  were  only  accidents,  and  nowhere  recom- 
mended as  essential.  Where,  then,  can  the  Church 
found  its  claims  to  infallible  dictation  of  the  beliefs  of 


50  THE    RELIGION    OF    MAN. 

men  ?  Not  on  the  Bible  ;  not  on  anything  Christ  said 
or  did,  for  his  life  is  a  plain  denial. 

The  Church  has  acted  from  the  commencement  of  its 
existence  as  though  it  held  a  commission  from  God  to 
scourge  all  who  opposed  its  exactions,  and  torture  them 
into  the  road  it  said  led  to  heaven.  The  Protestant 
sects,  having  lost  the  irresistible  power  of  the  Pope,  still 
rely  on  the  withering  influence  of  excommunication, 
and  the  social  pressure  they  wield.  They  cannot  place 
the  Infidel  on  a  rack  and  tear  his  limbs  to  pieces,  but 
they  can  torture  his  spirit  by  social  ostracism,  the  influ- 
ence of  which  lies  in  the  prejudices  they  create. 

When  a  thinker  walks  out  on  the  breezy  highlands  of 
untrammelled  thought,  and  would  gladden  the  world 
with  the  spectacle  of  a  beautiful  life  devoted  to  noble 
aims  and  lofty  endeavor,  how  rave  the  sectarian  winds 
over  the  theological  marshland  below  !  and  how  ten 
thousand  tongues  run  swift  to  defame  his  fair  name  ! 
The  calm  soul  will  let  them  prate,  as  the  unnoticeable 
anger  of  children. 

We  learn,  then,  that  the  claims  of  the  Church  to  au- 
thority in  matters  pertaining  to  religion  are  without 
foundation,  unsanctioned  by  the  Gospels,  unauthor- 
ized by  any  word  or  deed  of  Christ,  and  everywhere 
condemned.  Nor  can  it,  as  an  aggregation  of  individ- 
uals, claim  authority  over  the  individual. 

It  may  be  answered  :  The  Church  is  an  aggregation 
of  individuals  gathered  around  a  centre — that  centre 
the  God-man,  Christ.  Its  power  arises  from  its  holding 
this  being  as  a  model  for  human  action.  If  Christ  were 
a  veritable  incarnation — if  he  were  God  clothed  in  flesh 
— he  could  not  be  a  model  for  finite  man.  His  example 
would  be  useless  and  wholly  incomprehensible.  If  he 
were  simply  a  good  and  perfect  man,  it  would  be  well 


RELIGION".  51 

for  us  to  follow  his  example,  as  it  is  well  to  learn  lessons 
from  all  exemplary  men. 

Thus,  as  a  God  or  as  a  man,  no  power  is  conferred  on 
his  followers,  by  accepting  him  as  a  model,  to  enforce 
their  views  on  others,  or  to  reject  what  they  may  con- 
sider as  conflicting  with  their  established  beliefs. 

All  authority  that  the  Church  has  is  that  of  brute 
power  ;  human  and  bestowed  by  might,  not  by  divine 
delegation. 

This  right  is  admitted,  not  because  it  is  supported  by 
evidence,  but  by  that  blind  obedience  men  pay  to  the 
old,  which  grows  out  of  fear,  admiration,  and  a  sense  of 
duty  the  result  of  education. 

The  Church  has  the  appliances  to  create  fear  in  an 
eminent  degree,  as  it  claims  it  holds  the  keys  of  liell  and 
eternal  damnation  in  its  hands.  He  who  bravely  sub- 
mits to  physical  torture  is  appalled  at  threats  of  eternal 
anguish.  This  element  is  chiefly  relied  on,  is  largely 
used  in  all  revivals,  and  its  thunder  tones  are  heard  in 
excommunications  and  anathemas.  Humanity  is  loyal 
to  its  leaders,  whether  those  leaders  direct  it  right  or 
wrong,  and  once  imbued  with  certain  notions,  is  ready 
to  sustain  those  leaders,  from  admiration  of  the  success 
with  which  they  carry  forward  their  measures.  One 
generation  having  submitted,  the  next  is  educated  into 
submission,  or,  in  other  words,  they  have  a  sense  of  the 
moral  duty  of  obedience. 

Having  by  these  means  gained  supremacy,  the  Church 
has  attempted  to  preserve  her  power  by  two  quite  differ- 
ent methods.  Thoroughly  comprehending  that  knowl- 
edge is  power,  it  has  either  sought  to  check  its  diffusion 
altogether,  or  only  disseminate  such  ideas  as  it  pleased. 

It  held  universal  dissemination  of  knowledge  to  be 
not  only  useless,  but  that  it  led  to  discontent,  sedition^ 


52  THE    RELIGION    OF   MAN". 

and  revolution.  The  masses,  if  allowed  to  be  informed 
in  the  arts  and  sciences  of  the  ruling  classes,  would  be- 
come turbulent  and  uncontrollable.  The  High  Church 
Party  in  England  maintained  this  view  until  a  recent 
date,  and  the  supporters  of  Slavery  upheld  it  with  most 
stringent  laws.  The  other  method,  the  deeper  and  most 
insidious,  introduced  by  the  more  ultra  leaders  of  Prot- 
estantism, and  by  the  Jesuits  into  Catholicism,  is  to 
compel  all  to  become  educated,  making  it  even  compul- 
sory with  parents  to  instruct  their  children,  but  while 
opening  the  doors  of  the  mind,  taking  care  to  supply 
only  unobjectionable  food.  An  injunction  is  served 
on  the  Press  and  the  author.  No  book  or  paper 
is  issued  until  examined  by  the  theological  power,  and 
suppressed  if  containing  anything  displeasing.  Authors 
who  write  in  accordance  with  prevailing  ideas  are  en- 
couraged to  occupy  the  public  mind,  the  Press  thus  be- 
coming a  power  in  the  hands  of  the  Church  to  dissemi- 
nate its  doctrines  and  maintain  its  authority.  It  scatters 
tracts  and  religious  books  by  the  million,  but  to  every 
call  from  any  conflicting  idea  is  silent.  It  is  not  only 
gagged,  it  is  made  a  slave,  and  all  its  giant-energy  com- 
pelled to  labor  for  darkness  instead  of  light. 

The  school  has  been  supplied  with  books  written  in 
the  service  of  the  Church,  to  the  exclusion  of  others, 
and  every  avenue  to  knowledge  seized  with  rapacious 
hand.  The  primary  school,  the  seminary,  the  college, 
if  not  publicly  teaching  theology,  are  controlled  by  the- 
ologians. 

Wise  and  subtle  as  this  scheme  appeared,  they  who 
employed  it  knew  not  wherewith  they  built.  The  mind 
becomes  enlarged  and  its  perceptions  sharpened  even 
by  erroneous  learning.  After  receiving  the  knowledge 
prepared  by  the  priesthood,  it  gains  increased  capacity, 


EELIGION".  53 

and  one  ray  of  light  allowed  to  enter  creates  desire  for 
the  whole  sunshine.  The  New  England  common  schools, 
of  which  those  of  other  States  are  copies,  were  estab- 
lished chiefly  to  maintain  Puritan  orthodoxy  ;  but  they 
have  in  a  great  measure  escaped  from  the  controlling 
hand  of  the  Church,  and  from  them  have  flowed  the 
heresies  which  have  led  to  the  free  thought  of  the  pres- 
ent. May  we  soon  hail  the  day  when  they  shall  be- 
come wholly  secularized,  and  the  light  of  knowledge, 
instead  of  revealing  the  dead  creeds  and  dogmas  to  the 
ardent  imaginations  of  the  young,  be  allowed  to 
shine  as  the  sun  of  morning  over  the  beauties  of  Na- 
ture ! 

Neither  the  Church  nor  any  organization  has  the  right 
to  decide  what  is  truth,  and  man  is  thrown  on  his  own 
resources  for  its  determination.  Granting  the  dogma 
of  miraculous  creation,  every  organ  and  function 
is  designed  and  created  for  pleasure,  not  for  pain, 
and  it  is  essential  that  an  All-wise  Being  make  him  an 
authority  to  himself.  If  not,  how  is  it  possible  for  him 
to  receive  the  revelation  of  his  Maker  ?  Here  we  leave 
the  dark  night-land,  where,  in  the  miasmatic  gloom  of 
ignorance  and  dank  vapors,  superstition  grows  like  a 
foetid  mushroom,  and  with  relief  gain  the  heights  of  un- 
trammelled thought,  where  religion  becomes  moral  obli- 
gation. Not  to  systems,  but  to  the  mind  itself,  are  we 
to  turn  for  the  understanding  of  religion.  The  meaning 
of  that  word  can  be  exalted.  The  true  religious  code 
and  the  moral  are  one.  The  most  moral  man  is  the 
most  religious.  Everything  outside  of  a  well-ordered  life 
— a  life  devoted  to  the  most  perfect  accomplishment  of 
the  object  of  being,  under  the  name  of  whatever  religion 
— is  a  sham.  Eeligion  is  the  citadel  in  which  emotional 
ignorance  has  entrenched  itself  and  fought  to  the  death 


54  THE    RELIGION    OF   MAN. 

every  advance  of  knowledge,  which,  expressed  in  the  gen- 
eral term  Science,  is  the  true  saviour  of  mankind. 

"  Ah  !"  it  is  rejoined,  "  science  is  well  in  its  place, 
but  in  morals  and  religion  it  is  at  fault  ;  they  are  be. 
yond  its  pale. "  The  worshipper  of  beans  and  garlics 
under  the  shadow  of  the  Pyramids  made  the  same  state- 
ment four  thousand  years  ago.  Religion  is  the  province 
of  unreasoning  faith,  and  the  greater  the  faith  required, 
the  more  miraculous  the  system  and  laudable  the  un- 
wavering faith  of  the  devotee.  Faith  is  another  name 
for  credulity. 

The  weapons  of  metaphysical  theology  are  now  useless. 
The  war  has  changed  its  base.  It  has  been  fought  on  the 
marshlands  of  ignorance,  and  the  combatants  have  been 
guided  by  will-o'-the-wisps,  mistook  for  stars  of  heaven. 
Now  the  light  of  certain  knowledge  floods  the  world, 
and  the  systems  of  theology  and  metaphysics  disappear. 
They  can  never  change  front  and  battle  with  the  new 
weapons.  Knowledge  not  only  destroys  dogmatism  ;  it 
renders  its  existence  impossible.  The  Goliaths  of  the- 
ology, arrayed  on  the  battle-field  of  science,  become 
phantasms,  the  attenuated  shadows  of  ghosts,  which 
amuse  rather  than  annoy  with  their  incoherent  gibberish. 

Knowledge  carries  men  away  from  Churchianity.  The 
leading  minds  of  Europe  and  America  stand  outside  of 
its  influence.  Yet  they  and  their  followers  form  the 
most  moral  members  in  their  respective  societies.  The 
drifting  away  of  the  dross  of  dogmatism  leaves  the  true 
gold  of  morality. 

In  these  pages  the  great  questions  of  religion  and  mo- 
rality are  treated  by  knowledge,  and  not  by  faith.  No 
obscure  region  is  covered  by  the  "  mystery  of  Godli- 
ness." The  only  mystery  admitted  is  that  of  Ignorance, 
By  religion  is  meant  all  systems,  and  Christianity  will 


WHAT  IS   RELIGION  ?  55 

be  weighed  in  the  same  balance  with  Mohammedanism, 
Buddhism,  and  the  lowest  Fetishism.  If  it  stands  the 
test,  it  is  well  ;  if  not,  why  mourn  ?  As  from  the  mind 
of  man  has  sprung  all  the  systems  of  the  past,  he  is 
superior  to  them  as  the  master  to  his  work,  and  adequate 
to  the  production  of  the  systems  essential  to  his  future 
progress.  The  essential  cannot  be  destroyed.  Fetish 
gods  only  need  to  be  jealously  guarded. 


II. 

WHAT  IS  RELIGION? 

The  way  to  gain  admission  into  the  portals  of  science  is  through 
the  portal  of  doubt. — SOCRATES. 

He  that  takes  away  reason  to  make  way  for  revelation  puts  out 
the  light  of  both,  and  does  much  the  same  as  if  he  should  per- 
suade a  man  to  put  out  his  eyes  the  better  to  receive  the  remote 
light  of  an  invisible  star  by  a  telescope. — LOCKE. 

If  religion  be  devotion  to  an  awe  of  personified  life  and  intelli- 
gence, it  is  possessed  by  the  brutes  of  the  field. 
Europe,  with  all  her  nameless  store 

Of  cultivation,  wisdom,  pride, 
Had  marched  through  centuries  of  gore 

Before  she  reached  the  lighted  side 
Of  God's  humanity.     Her  veins, 

Though  pure,  have  run  barbaric  blood  ; 
Her  fair  face  has  worn  pits  and  stains  ; 
But  change  wrought  error  into  good. 

EMMA  ROOD  TUTTLE,  IN  "GAZELLE." 

THE  assertion  that  religious  phenomena  are  found 
among  all  races  of  mankind  has  been  a  standard  argu- 


56  THE    EELIGION    OF   MAN. 

ment  to  prove  man,  by  necessity  of  his  organization,  a 
religious  being,  and  worship  in  some  form  indispensable. 
Undoubtedly  this  is  one  of  the  strongest  arguments 
possible  to  urge,  and  if  received  as  expressing  the  fact 
that  no  mental  phenomenon  can  be  manifested  without 
an  adequate  cause  residing  in  the  mind,  is  indisputable. 
Furthermore,  and  a  fact  of  great  significance,  religious 
feelings  and  observances  become  refined  and  elevated, 
and  tend  to  disappear  in  morality,  in  exact  ratio  to  the 
advance  of  reason  and  knowledge.  There  are  degrees 
of  progress,  from  the  Patagonian,  the  sum  of  whose  re- 
ligion is  roasting  a  sea-bird's  egg  and  singing  a  wild  song 
over  it,  to  the  refined  subtilties  of  the  Evangelist. 

The  existence  of  such  feelings  is  not  proof  of  their 
munificence,  or  that  they  should  be  uncontrolled.  War 
appears  normal  to  all  mankind,  and  is  even  more  uni- 
versal than  religion,  going  down  through  the  successive 
grades  of  the  animal  world  to  the  lowest.  Its  existence 
proves  man  to  possess  combative  elements,  which,  prop- 
erly directed  by  reason,  are  salutary.  It  does  not  prove 
a  separate  faculty  of  war,  but  arises  from  a  combination 
of  faculties  which  an  advanced  civilization  emplo3rs  quite 
differently. 

The  existence  of  religious  feelings  proves  no  more  than 
the  love  of  war.  We  are  not  sure  we  cannot  discover 
intimations  of  religion  in  animals  themselves.  When 
the  wild  winds  blow,  and  the  lightnings  fill  the  black 
clouds  with  fire,  and  the  air  is  rent  with  thunder,  how 
piteously  the  brutes  of  the  field  fly  here  and  there,  ut- 
tering their  plaintive  moans,  or  rush  into  the  presence 
of  man,  trembling  with  fear  ! 

The  first  germ  of  religion  in  savage  man  is  this  same 
fear  of  the  elements.  Under  like  circumstances  he  cries 
with  terror  and  falls  prostrate,  appealing  for  protection 


WHAT   IS    RELIGION"  ?  57 

to  something,  he  knows  not  what.  Is  there  any  differ- 
ence in  kind  between  the  fear  of  the  brute  and  that  of 
the  savage  ?  The  animal  throws  itself  under  the  pro- 
tection of  man  ;  the  savage,  having  no  visible  superior 
to  whom  to  appeal,  personifies  the  elements  themselves, 
and  casts  himself  before  the  ideal  of  his  own  creation. 

Those  who  regard  man  as  fallen  from  a  high  estate  see 
in  the  savagery,  not  a  primitive,  but  a  degraded  condi- 
tion. This  conclusion  conflicts  with  the  facts  of  human 
history.  The  races  of  mankind  began,  like  the  individ- 
ual, ignorant  and  brutal.  The  early  man  was  a  savage, 
a  cannibal,  whose  religion — if  he  possessed  a  religion — 
was  of  the  grossest  form.  Fetishism  has  been  consid- 
ered the  lowest  expression  of  religious  instinct,  but  it 
does  not  touch  the  bottom  of  the  abyss.  Comte,  when 
he  declares  this  statement  insupportable,  combats  a  posi- 
tive subject  with  metaphysical  argument.  He  says  if 
man  existed  in  a  state  wholly  material,  there  must  have 
been  "  a  time  when  intellectual  wants  did  not  exist  in 
man  ;  and  we  must  suppose  a  moment  when  they  began 
to  exist,  without  any  prior  manifestation."  This  he 
concludes  impossible.  His  argument  is  of  that  meta- 
physical kind,  as  delusive  as  unsatisfactory,  which  he 
utterly  discards  in  others.  The  "want"  is  subject  to 
an  imperceptibly  slow  growth.  The  appearance  of  the 
"want"  is  evidence  of  the  prior  capability  for  its  de- 
velopment, and  there  must  be  a  time  when  this  develop- 
ment becomes  manifest. 

Fetishism  is  not  the  first  expression  of  the  religious 
sentiment.  There  are  many  species  of  animals  in  which 
it  is  apparent,  especially  in  those  which  have  had  the 
advantage  of  the  culture  given  by  man.  A  kitten  mis- 
takes a  ball  for  a  living  being  as  readily  as  a  savage  sees 


58  THE    RELIGION    OF   MAN. 

a  life  like  his  own  in  the  wind.  The  thoughts  awakened 
in  the  mind  of  a  dog  by  presenting  a  watch  to  his  ear 
are  of  the  same  kind — he  regards  it  as  a  living  being  ; 
the  savage  thinks  it  possessed  by  a  demon.  A  Bech- 
uana,  seeing  the  sea  and  a  ship  for  the  first  time,  said 
the  ship  must  have  come  of  itself,  for  it  could  not  have 
been  created  by  man.  The  Yakuts  are  represented  as 
being  so  amazed  by  the  action  of  a  telescope  in  bringing 
distant  objects  close  to  the  eye,  that  they  believe  it  pos- 
sessed by  a  spirit ;  writing  they  cannot  comprehend, 
and  books  they  regard  as  living  objects  that  can  talk. 

In  our  own  individual  development  we  can  mark  the 
same  ideas  in  our  childhood.  They  even  extend  to  our 
mature  years  ;  as  when  a  machine  refuses  to  do  its  work, 
how  readily  the  mechanic  gives  it  personality  !  The 
child  converts  a  broomstick  into  a  prancing  steed,  and 
the  engineer  speaks  of  his  locomotive  as  a  person  for 
whom  he  has  the  warmest  attachment.  The  child  chas- 
tises the  offending  object ;  Xerxes,  leading  the  myriads 
of  Persia,  would  send  a  message  to  the  turbulent  sea  and 
bind  it  with  chains.  These  are  examples  of  Fetishism 
— the  endowment  of  inanimate  objects  with  life. 

We  have  advanced  so  far  from  that  primitive  faith 
that  we  cannot  study  its  peculiar  phases  without  refer- 
ring to  people  who  are  at  present  in  the  same  stage  as 
that  which  we  have  left  in  the  remote  distance.  As 
human  development  is  governed  by  the  same  unchang- 
ing laws,  similar  stages  of  growth  present  corresponding 
phenomena. 

This  field  of  study  is  lamentably  broad,  as  only  a 
moiety  of  mankind  have  become  what  is  styled  civilized, 
and  at  least  one  third  of  the  human  family  are  savages. 
Those  vast  regions  forming  the  continents  of  Africa  and 
Australia,  the  countless  islands  of  the  Pacific  Sea,  and 


WHAT   IS    RELIGION  ?  59 

the  interminable  expanse  around  the  North  Pole  in 
America  extending  southward  almost  to  the  great  lakes, 
are  inhabited  by  tribes  whose  religious  beliefs  are  of  the 
grossest  form.  The  Australian  has  not  made  an  attem  pfc 
toward  embodying  his  religious  ideas,  if  he  has  any,  in 
rites  and  ceremonies.  (Latham.)  Certain  wild  songs, 
accompanied  with  gestures,  mistaken  for  such,  have 
proved  of  foreign  origin.  Even  missionaries,  eager  to 
discover  analogous  ideas  in  the  heathen  they  would  con- 
vert, have  honestly  expressed  their  perplexity.  Says 
one  :  "  They  have  no  idea  of  a  Divine  Being.  They 
have  no  comprehension  of  the  things  they  commit  to 
memory.  I  mean  especially  as  regards  religious  sub- 
jects." Another  remarks  :  "What  can  we  do  with  a 
nation  whose  language  presents  no  terms  corresponding 
to  justice  or  sin,  and  to  whose  minds  the  ideas  expressed 
by  these  words  are  completely  strange  and  inexplicable  ?" 
"  A  kind  of  highly  developed  instinct  for  discovering 
their  food,  which  is  always  difficult  for  them  to  obtain, 
seems  among  them  to  have  taken  the  place  of  most  of 
the  moral  faculties  among  mankind,"  is  the  statement 
of  Lesson  and  Garnot.  Unless  watched  by  the  police, 
they  would  offend  law  and  decency  with  as  little  scruple 
as  the  monkeys  of  a  menagerie  ;  and  so  dormant  is  their 
reason,  that  the  same  means  must  be  employed  to  con- 
vince them  that  is  used  with  children  and  idiots. 

The  inhabitants  of  Central  Africa  are  little  more  ad- 
vanced. 

Leighton,  who  for  four  years  served  as  missionary 
among  the  Mpougwes,  Mandingos,  and  Grebes,  important 
tiibes,  says  that  they  have  neither  priests,  nor  idolatry, 
nor  religious  ceremonies.  The  testimony  of  Livingstone 
on  the  Bechuanas  is  the  same.  In  order  to  translate  the 
word  God  and  make  it  comprehensible  to  Caffre  in- 


60  THE   RELIGION   OF  MAN. 

tellcct,  the  missionaries  had  to  employ  the  word  Tixo, 
meaning  "  wounded  knee."  Tixo  was  a  well-known 
sorcerer,  and  received  his  name  from  a  wound  received 
on  his  knee.  He  was  the  highest  ideal  of  the  Caffre 
mind,  and  his  name  best  translated  the  idea  of  God  to 
their  understanding. 

Of  the  Esquimaux,  people  depressed  by  the  cold  as  the 
preceding  are  by  excessive  heat,  Sir  John  Ross  speaks 
in  no  nattering  terms  as  regards  their  religious  status  : 

"  Did  they  comprehend  anything  of  all  I  attempted  to 
explain,  explaining  the  simplest  things  in  the  simplest 
manner  that  I  could  devise  ?  I  could  not  conjecture. 
Should  I  have  gained  more  had  I  understood  their  lan- 
guage ?  1  have  much  reason  to  doubt.  That  they  have 
a  moral  law  of  some  extent,  '  written  in  the  heart/  I 
could  not  doubt,  as  numerous  traits  of  their  conduct 
show  ;  but  beyond  this  I  could  satisfy  myself  of  nothing  ; 
nor  did  these  efforts  and  many  more  enable  me  to  con- 
jecture aught  worth  recording.  Respecting  their  opin- 
ions on  the  essential  points  from  which  I  might  have 
presumed  on  a  religion,  I  was  obliged  at  present  to  aban- 
don the  attempt,  and  I  was  inclined  to  despair. 

"  The  Esquimaux  is  an  animal  of  prey,  with  no  other 
enjoyment  than  eating  ;  and,  guided  by  no  principle 
and  no  reason,  he  devours  as  long  as  he  can,  and  all  that 
he  can  procure,  like  the  vulture  and  the  tiger.  The 
Esquimaux  eats  but  to  sleep,  and  sleeps  but  to  eat  again 
as  soon  as  he  can." 

.South  of  the  Himalayas,  in  the  dense  forests  of  Cen- 
tral Hindustan,  man  exists  in  lower  caste  than  has  yet 
elsewhere  been  described.  Mr.  Piddington,  who  had 
extensive  experience  of  travel,  describes  one  of  these  re- 
markable people,  whom  the  Hindoos  call  "  monkey- 
men  :" 


WHAT   IS   RELIGION  ?  61 

"  He  was  short,  flat-nosed,  had  pouch-like  wrinkles  in 
semicircles  round  the  corners  of  the  mouth  and  cheeks  ; 
his  arms  were  disproportionately  long,  and  there  was  a 
portion  of  reddish  hair  to  be  seen  on  the  rusty  black 
skin.  Altogether,  if  couched  in  a  dark  corner  or  on  a 
tree,  he  might  be  mistaken  for  a  large  orang-utan." 

No  sharp  line  can  be  drawn  between  man  and  the 
brute  which  will  leave  the  dawn  of  religious  conceptions 
on  one  side  and  the  absence  of  such  on  the  other.  The 
ancestors  of  the  great  European  civilizations  were  sav- 
ages as  degraded  as  those  here  introduced.  In  the 
Egyptian  representations  described  by  Champollion,  the 
victorious  Sesostris  leads  captive  representatives  of  Eu- 
rope, Asia,  and  Africa.  The  European  is  sketched  as  a 
savage  clad  in  the  skins  of  wild  beasts,  but  the  Syrian  is 
attired  in  splendid  Asiatic  costume. 

Europe  has  her  own  monuments  to  indicate  the  status 
of  her  ancient  people.  The  shell-heaps  of  the  North, 
the  arrow-heads  and  other  imperishable  remains  found 
buried  beneath  the  earth,  are  vestiges  of  peoples  rude 
as  the  Eed  Indian  of  British  Columbia.  The  inhabi- 
tants of  Britain  two  thousand  years  ago  met  the  invasion 
of  Caesar  with  arrows  and  spears  of  wood  hardened  in 
the  fire.  Their  clothing  was  of  skins  of  wild  beasts,  and 
their  dwellings  caves  excavated  beneath  the  earth.  It 
is  well  determined  that  these  savages,  shouting  their 
harsh  war-cries  as  they  gallantly  met  in  unequal  com- 
bat the  invincible  legions  of  Rome,  havo  absorbed  their 
conquerors,  and  that  the  present  English  people  are 
their  direct  descendants. 

This  progress  has  involved  an  equal  advance  in  re- 
ligious conceptions.  Every  increment  of  knowledge 
threw  new  light  on  the  nature  and  influence  of  the  gods, 
and  revealed  more  correctly  the  relations  of  man  to  his 


62  THE    RELIGION   OF   MAX. 

fellows.  There  is  not  a  vestige  of  moral  sense  until  the 
intellect  is  capable  of  comprehension. 

Eeligion  is  the  observance  of  certain  ceremonies. 
"Why  are  these  observed  ?  Because  they  are  supposed  to 
have  been  dictated  by  the  gods,  and  especially  pleasing 
to  them,  propitiating  their  wrath  and  winning  their 
favor.  The  religious  element,  as  that  term  is  received, 
at  its  ultimate  analysis  is  fear  of  the  anger  of  the 
gods,  by  which  imagination  is  perverted  and  reason 
enslaved. 

It  is  said  we  are  conscious  of  this  element  within  us 
— that,  by  the  failure  of  our  schemes,  the  blasting  of 
our  hopes,  the  mystery  which  gathers  around  our  lives, 
the  limitation  of  our  understanding,  the  unfathom- 
ableness  of  causation,  we  are  prone  to  bow  in  submis- 
sion, and  acknowledge  a  superior  Power  governing  Na- 
ture. 

As  knowledge  of  the  laws  of  causation  becomes  more 
accurate,  we  are  enabled  to  account  for  the  blasting  of 
our  hopes,  the  failure  of  our  plans,  the  mystery  of  our 
lives — are  less  impressed  and  overwhelmed  with  a  sense 
of  the  unknown,  and  feel  less  of  that  dependence  which 
some  acute  metaphysicians  claim  to  be  the  ultimate  of 
religious  feeling.  Here  the  distinction  is  drawn  between 
morality  and  religion.  The  observance  of  the  prescribed 
ceremonials  of  his  time  has  constituted  the  religious 
man,  and  no  amount  of  good  works  shielded  him  from 
the  charge  of  infidelity  if  he  neglected  such  observances. 
To  primitive  man  the  observance  of  superstitious  customs 
is  far  more  essential  than  moral  conduct.  Cherishing  the 
coarsest  vices,  he  will  suffer  death  before  he  will  disobey 
the  requirements  of  superstition. 

We  shall  find,  as  we  proceed  in  this  discussion,  that 
amidst  this  rubbish  of  superstition  there  is  pure  gold  ; 


FETISHISM.  63 

and  religion,  in  its  highest  meaning,  is  the  last  term  of 
knowledge  and  morality  :  DEVOTION  TO  THE  EIGHT,  CON- 
SECRATION" TO  DUTY,  UNSHRINKING  SELF-SACRIFICE. 


IAKTXN. 

in. 

FETISHISM. 

If  any  man  love  acorns  since  corn  is  invented,  let  him  eat 
acorns  ;  but  it  is  very  unreasonable  that  he  should  forbid  others 
the  use  of  wheat. 

SAVAGE  man  is  depressed  and  overpowered  by  the  ob- 
jective world.  He  is  the  sport  and  buffet  of  the  ele- 
ments. The  invisible  wind,  bearing  on  its  wings  clouds 
and  tempest,  through  whose  chambers  the  lightnings 
are  flung  and  thunders  bay  ;  the  ever-moving  waters  of 
river  and  sea  ;  the  sunshine  flooding  the  earth,  are 
grand  and  inexplicable  mysteries  to  his  untaught  mind. 
He  endows  all  objects  with  life  :  fires  arrows  to  intimi- 
date the  lightning ;  undertakes  hostile  expeditions 
against  offending  winds  ;  or  shouts  his  battle-cry  to 
frighten  the  monster  devouring  the  eclipsed  sun  or  moon. 
Every  moving  thing  has  life  and  intelligence  like  his 
own.  The  animal  world  forms  one  great  family,  of 
which  he  is  the  elder  brother.  They  understand  each 
other  and  him.  Like  a  child  he  converses  with  them. 
"  Do  not  cry  like  a  woman,  but  bear  death  like  a  brave," 
says  the  Indian  to  the  wounded  bear.  "  He  keeps  silent 
for  fear  of  slavery,"  says  the  Negro  of  the  baboon.  His 
ardent  imagination,  unrestrained  by  reason,  exalts  the 


64  THE   BELIGKW   OF   MAN". 

instincts  of  his  fellow  animals.  He  is  not  far  removed 
from  them,  and,  astonished  at  their  sagacity  and  the 
mystery  of  their  instinctive  actions,  believes  them  his 
superiors. 

He  worships,  because  he  fears,  everything — rocks, 
trees,  streams,  mountains,  sun,  and  stars.  These  are 
worshipped  direct,  and  not  as  types  or  symbols  of  in- 
terior deities,  as  is  often  claimed,  not  God  behind  a  veil, 
for  the  mind  at  this  stage  is  not  capable  of  entertaining 
any  conception  beyond  the  sphere  of  the  senses.  Each 
individual,  according  to  his  caprice,  selects  an  object  of 
worship  ;  at  first  only  for  the  time,  but  afterward  for  a 
longer  period,  even  during  life.  Objects  exciting  fear, 
terror,  or  emotions  of  pleasure,  are  first  selected.  The 
savage  is  ruled  by  his  passions  and  emotions.  The  dark 
is  a  monster — every  obscure  cavern  the  jaws  of  destruc- 
tion. Terrified  by  the  life  he  cannot  comprehend,  he 
personifies  that  life  ;  and  coming  to  a  belief  that  person- 
alities stand  behind  visible  effects,  a  sense  of  his  own 
helplessness  intensifies  his  fear.  He  believes  these  per- 
sonalities interfere  in  his  affairs,  and  may  be  influenced 
by  prayers  and  incantations.  He  devoutly  believes  in 
witchcraft  and  sorcery.  Jn  this  early  theology  moral- 
ity has  no  part.  The  gods  do  not  interfere  for  the  pur- 
pose of  rewarding  man's  moral  or  punishing  his  immoral 
acts,  for  he  has  not  arrived  to  the  understanding  of 
moral  relations. 

His  dim  consciousness  of  a  future  state  is  fraught  with 
terror.  Death,  the  surrender  of  existence  to  the  ele- 
mental forces,  is  a  frightful  phenomenon.  The  spirit 
then  leaves  the  body  to  wander  an  unseen  shade,  capable 
of  assuming  any  shape,  and  inflicting  torments  on  the 
living.  Its  name  must  not  be  pronounced,  for  fear  of 
recalling  it.  The  world  of  spirits  is  terrible  from  its  in- 


FETISHISM.  65 

visibility  ;  and  the  savage,  fearless  in  battle  with  over- 
whelming foes,  feels  utterly  powerless,  and  prostrates 
himself  before  the  mysterious  and  irresponsible  beings 
of  the  air. 

To  enter  this  invisible  world  and  subject  its  shades  to 
mortal  will — to  approach  the  gods  in  their  secret  cham- 
bers, and  engage  them  in  the  furtherance  of  mortal 
plans — has  been  from  earliest  times  the  daring  scheme 
of  theology.  This  scheme  is  manifested  by  Catholicism 
in  holy  relics,  the  cross,  rosaries,  and  amulets  ;  and  by 
the  Protestant  in  holy  days  and  books,  and  meta- 
physical philosophers,  when  they  assign  a  soul  to  Nature 
and  lose  themselves  in  a  bewildering  Pantheism,  return 
to  Fetishism. 

Here  is  the  cradle  of  theology.  The  savage,  by  deify- 
ing all  objects,  dwells  constantly  in  the  presence  of  his 
gods.  He  cannot  escape  from  them.  He  illustrates  a 
state  theologians  never  weary  of  applauding,  wherein 
reason  creates  no  doubt,  nor  examines  with  too  curious 
eye  the  vague  theories  of  cosmology.  All  ideas  are 
theological,  and  every  act  of  man's  life  has  direct  refer- 
ence to  his  theological  belief.  There  is  no  necessity  for 
mediators  between  him  and  the  gods,  and  priests  are  not 
wanted .  There  are  no  priests,  no  religious  system,  as  each 
individual  is  his  own  priest,  creates  his  own  system.  All 
is  indeterminate,  vague,  and  unreal.  When  everything 
is  regarded  as  subject  to  the  caprice  of  controlling  intel- 
ligences, there  can  be  no  conception  of  universal  law  or 
fixity  of  action.  The  spirit  of  investigation  is  dormant, 
or  overwhelmed  by  the  religious  emotions.  It  is  for 
this  reason  the  Fetish  state  is  one  of  intellectual  stagna- 
tion, and  progress  out  of  it  is  extremely  slow.  The 
mind  is  so  preoccupied  with  its  childish  vagaries  as  to 
preclude  correct  observation.  When  Nature  becomes 


66  .   THE    EELIGIOX   OP   MAN. 

thus  idealized,  there  is  no  room  for  human  effort.  The 
gods  rule  arbitrarily,  and  nothing  is  left  for  man  but  to 
appease  their  anger  or  flatter  their  vanity  by  abject  hom- 
age. Such  conceptions  impede  progress,  and  suffocate 
thought  by  superstitions,  childish  fear  of  evil  beings. 
Man  travels  a  long  and  weary  road,  one  directly  diverg- 
ing from  religion,  before  he  gains  the  mastery  of  nature, 
and  through  moral  sensibilities  recognizes  a  benevolent 
being  as  Creator.  This  early  condition  has  not  yet  been 
wholly  outgrown,  and  too  often  is  the  spectacle  present- 
ed of  men  of  scientific  acumen  prejudiced  by  religious 
dogmatism. 

To  understand  the  feelings  and  ideas  of  savages,  we 
must  place  ourselves  in  their  position.  Standing  on  the 
high  ground  of  the  present,  we  find  it  difficult  to  appre- 
ciate their  sensations  ;  but  if  we  imbibe  the  true  Fetish 
spirit,  we  shall  be  astonished  that  infant  man,  placed  in 
a  strange  world,  which  appeared  to  him  like  a  gigantic 
phantasmagoria,  was  not  led  into  greater  errors  by  his  the- 
ories, founded  as  they  were  on  illusions  instead  of  correct 
observation.  It  is  usual  to  regard  the  systems  of  Pagan- 
ism as  Impostures,  and  their  priests  as  jugglers  ;  but  no 
fact  is  more  patent  than  that  all  these  systems  are  legiti- 
mate outgrowths  of  the  mind,  and  these  jugglers  are  the 
parents  of  the  present  race  of  theologians.  The  Puri- 
tans were  shocked  at  the  pow-wows  of  the  Indians,  and 
referred  them  to  the  devil ;  but  the  Indians  were  un- 
doubtedly as  sincere  as  the  rigid  Puritans.  Theological 
ideas  are  born  of  the  necessities  of  their  time.  Artifice 
and  dissimulation  may  answer  immediate  ends,  but  they 
can  never  be  received  by  whole  races  of  men.  Those 
whom  it  is  customary  to  regard  as  impostors  were  thor- 
oughly convinced  themselves,  and  found  responsiveness 
in  those  they  led.  The  dreadful  extravagances  into 


FETISHISM.  67 

which  they  fell  are  sufficient  proof  of  their  own  entire 
sincerity. 

The  worship  of  plants  and  animals  may  have  served 
a  beneficial  purpose  before  their  usefulness  could  be 
learned.  The  savage  is  intent  on  destruction  alone, 
and  without  some  check  might  destroy  himself  by 
thoughtlessly  exterminating  the  animals  which  supplied 
him  with  food.  Each  selects  an  object  for  his  own  in- 
dividual worship — a  tree,  an  animal,  a  rock,  a  stream — 
and  addresses  his  prayers  direct.  Any  uncommon  oc- 
currence— as  an  earthquake,  tornado,  or  falling  meteor 
— attracts  general  attention  and  homage.  A  black  stone 
became  the  shrine  of,  or  rather  at  first  was,  Cybele. 
Eough  blocks  of  stone,  from  some  singularity  of  form, 
were  worshipped  by  the  ancient  people  of  Greece.  The 
glory  of  the  rising  sun,  the  activity  of  life  evoked  by  its 
presence,  the  calm  repose  of  his  going  down,  are  among 
the  most  surprising  events  of  Nature.  The  splendor  of 
the  starry  hosts  of  night,  if  not  as  startling,  is  full  of 
awful  mystery.  The  sun,  as  source  of  life,  is  chief 
among  the  gods,  and  the  stars  are  living  souls.  When 
blind  adoration  advanced  to  star-worship,  the  borders  of 
Polytheism  were  reached.  The  Fetish  of  the  individual 
became  that  of  his  family  ;  when  the  family  enlarged  to  a 
tribe,  it  became  that  of  the  tribe  ;  and  as  it  still  enlarged 
by  growth  or  conquest,  it  became  the  chief  of  the  na- 
tion's gods.  During  this  growth  the  conception  of  the 
Fetish  changed.  The  object  was  no  longer  worshipped, 
but  a  Spirit  behind  the  object.  A  generalization  was 
made  by  the  worshipper.  It  was  no  longer  an  individual 
tree  he  adored,  but  the  Spirit  of  all  the  trees  ;  not  the 
brook,  or  sea,  but  the  Spirit  of  all  the  waters  ;  not  the 
different  winds,  but  the  god  of  the  wind. 

"With  this  enlargement  of  their  spheres,  the  character 


68  THE    EELIGION   OF   MAN. 

of  the  beings  worshipped  changes,  becomes  trauscen- 
dentally  human.  The  Anthropomorphism  is  not  lost  for 
a  moment,  but  constantly  magnified.  The  gods  are  re- 
moved from  man  by  the  intervention  of  physical  objects 
—by  whole  provinces  of  physical  objects — and  become 
active  forces.  The  necessity  of  a  mediator  to  interpret 
their  will  becomes  felt,  and  priests  are  introduced.  The 
medicine-man  of  the  Indian,  the  juggler  of  the  African, 
are  illustrations  of  the  early  priesthood.  They,  by  ob- 
serving certain  customs,  more  or  less  absurd,  come  in 
nearer  contact  with  their  deities.  They  can  avert  evil, 
bring  rain,  make  the  chase  or  war-path  successful,  assist 
their  friends,  or  overwhelm  their  enemies. 

At  first  they  have  little  power,  but  they  soon  come  to 
be  feared  as  much  as  the  gods  whom  they  interpret. 
As  love  of  power  is  a  dominant  motive  with  man — and 
especially  on  this  low  plane — they  were  not  tardy  in 
grasping  any  means  and  putting  forth  their  strength. 
They  surrounded  their  gods  with  mystery,  invented  cere- 
monies, sacrifices,  and  forms  innumerable,  by  which  the 
gods  were  removed  beyond  contact  with  the  common 
people,  and  their  own  office  rendered  more  necessary. 
By  keeping  the  people  in  profound  ignorance  they  made 
them  willing  dupes,  and  from  age  to  age  strengthened 
the  power  of  theology.  It  became  tyrannical,  usurped 
political  as  well  as  spiritual  dictatorship,  and  at  times 
rested  on  the  prostrate  nations  like  a  horrid  vampire, 
paralyzing  their  strength  and  crushing  every  effort  of 
advancement. 

Fetishism  with  our  own  race  is  of  the  remote  past, 
yet  its  stain  is  indelibly  fixed  on  our  religious  system. 
Christianity  is  full  of  it.  Claiming,  as  it  does,  divine 
completeness  and  the  worship  of  the  one  true  God,  there 
would  be  little  left  of  it  were  its  Fetishism  stripped  away. 


FETISHISM.  69 

"When  pestilence  smites  our  cities,  the  earthquake  pros- 
trates their  proud  towers,  or  storms  devastate,  prayers 
and  sermons  are  sent  forth  from  every  Christian  pulpit, 
asking  God  to  deal  lightly,  or  charging  these  natural 
events  to  warning  Providence.  In  seasons  of  drought, 
fasts  are  still  held  to  invoke  rain,  in  exactly  the  same 
spirit  in  which  the  Indian  medicine-men  shake  their 
calabashes  and  call  on  the  Great  Spirit.  Churches  are 
peculiarly  holy  places,  Sunday  a  holy  day,  and  fasts, 
penance  and  the  sacrifice  of  worldly  considerations  pe- 
culiarly acceptable  to  God.  The  outbursts  of  the  ele- 
ments, in  the  Christian  view,  are  acts  of  Providence. 
Recently  the  California  earthquake  called  out  an  expres- 
sion from  clergy  and  laymen  characteristic  of  Fetish 
worshippers.  Instead  of  seeing  the  activity  of  forces  in 
the  subterranean  volcanic  axis  on  which  that  country  is 
placed,  they  saw  only  the  warnings  of  an  angry  God.  It 
would  be  difficult  to  say  why  California  needs  such 
warning  more  than  New  York,  where  the  revenue  of  the 
most  aristocratic  church  is  derived  from  the  rent  of  its 
estate  occupied  as  drinking  saloons,  gambling  hells,  and 
houses  of  prostitution  ;  whose  sleek,  high-salaried  min- 
ister is  literally  clothed  by  the  activity  of  the  purple 
fingers  of  starvation,  and  fed  by  the  sale  of  human  souls. 

The  annual  thanksgiving  ordered  by  the  American 
Government,  and  re-echoed  by  the  States,  is  a  relic  of 
Fetishism,  and,  as  such,  is  degrading  in  its  tendencies. 
1 1,  is  a  hopeful  sign  that  year  by  year  the  "  Proclama- 
tion" is  becoming  little  more  than  a  form,  and  we  may 
hope,  at  no  distant  day,  a  chief  magistrate  may  be 
elected  having  sufficient  manhood  to  ignore  this  absurd 
and  outgrown  custom. 

The  lingering  faith  in  miracles  is  a  remnant  of  the 
belief  that  the  gods  manage  everything.  Miracles  are 


70  THE   RELIGION   OF   MAN. 

at  the  foundation  of  all  systems  of  religion  ;  and  it  is 
maintained  by  leading  theologians  that  the  human  mind 
is  so  constituted  that  it  cannot  believe  religion  of  divine 
origin  unless  accompanied  with  miracles.  Catholicism 
retains  the  miracle-working  power,  which  its  priests 
continue  to  practise,  and  the  erudite  Protestant  divine 
stands  up  in  his  pulpit  a  competitor  with  the  African 
rain-maker.  This  belief  is  like  some  mollusks  found 
fossil  in  the  rocks  of  all  past  ages,  and  with  charmed 
lives  flourishing  in  the  seas  of  the  present ;  it  grasps  the 
animal  and  emotional  faculties,  and,  as  long  as  they  are 
in  ascendancy,  will  not  yield  its  tenacious  life. 

Polytheism  constantly  presents  its  Fetish  origin.  The 
family  or  tribe  Fetish  became  the  Panates  of  the  Romans 
and  the  bull  Apis  of  the  Egyptians  ;  the  national  Fe- 
tish, the  Olympian  Jove  of  Greece — the  Capitoline  Jupi- 
ter of  Some — the  Caaba  of  Arabia. 

It  would  be  presumed  that  the  Jews,  from  the  earliest 
period  carefully  instructed  by  the  only  true  God,  would 
not  show  the  least  trace  of  religious  progress,  for  their 
system  was  not  of  growth,  but  revelation.  Contrary  to 
this  inference — and  infallibly  indicating  its  human  ori- 
gin— their  history  presents  all  phases  of  growth,  and,  at 
the  period  of  their  greatest  splendor,  Fetishism  and 
Polytheism  blended  with  their  vaunted  Monotheism. 
The  Seraphim  of  Laban  was  a  family  Fetish  ;  the  horses 
consecrated  to  the  Sun  in  the  Temple  of  Solomon  (2 
Kings  23  :  2)  were  of  the  tribe,  and  the  Cherubim  and 
Most  Holy  Place  were  national  Fetishes.  The  God  of 
Abraham  was  a  coarse  Fetish.  The  Jews  never  escaped 
the  influence  of  grossest  idolatry.  They  believed  that 
their  Jehovah  dwelt  especially  in  the  Holy  Place  of  their 
Temple,  and  propitiated  him  by  sacrifices,  rites,  and 
ceremonies  innumerable.  He  is  a  mean,  cruel,  unjust, 


FETISHISM.  71 

vindictive,  bloodthirsty  despot,  to  whom  the  purely  hu- 
man and  lovable  Jove  of  Greece  should  not  be  compared. 
The  Jews  reflected  their  own  stern,  grim,  and  revenge- 
ful natures  in  their  God,  and  their  religion  nowhere  in- 
dicates a  superhuman  origin. 

Fetishism  is  emphatically  a  religion  of  fear,  because  it 
reflects  most  clearly  the  origin  of  what  are  called  the 
religious  feelings.  It  asserts  the  anger  of  the  gods,  and 
its  priests  are  tireless  in  their  efforts  to  invent  methods 
by  which  they  may  be  appeased.  They  run  wild  with  a 
terrible  hallucination.  The  more  unnatural  an  action, 
the  more  pleasing  to  the  gods.  Mutilation — as  cutting 
off  a  finger,  knocking  out  a  tooth,  flagellation,  sacrifices 
— often  human — are  required  of  the  servile  devotee. 
Knowledge  is  repressed.  All  ideas  of  fixed  order  or  law 
are  lost  in  creation  resolved  into  a  succession  of  miracles. 
As  these  are  not  always  in  accordance  with  the  welfare 
of  man,  appropriate  gods  are  assigned  to  each.  Classes 
of  gods  are  formed — one  good,  the  other  evil.  Man  be- 
comes a  buffet  between  the  two.  Sacrifice  gains  the 
favor  of  the  first  and  appeases  the  anger  of  the  last. 
There  is  God- worship  and  Devil-worship,  as  retained  in 
the  Christian  Church,  which  assigns  in  its  theology  the 
second  place  to  the  God  of  Evil. 

The  later  phase  of  Fetishism,  where  every  individual 
has  his  own  particular  object  of  worship,  so  far  from 
exerting  a  moral  influence,  acts  in  the  opposite  direction. 
It  loosens  the  moral  bonds,  if  any  exist,  and  the  posses- 
sion of  the  especial  favors  of  a  god  makes  its  recipient 
selfish  and  overbearing.  If  the  Fetish  united  the  mem- 
bers of  a  tribe  in  closer  union,  it  intensified  their  hostility 
to  other  tribes.  The  national  Fetish  would  become  jeal- 
ous of  those  of  others,  and  all  wars  would  become  relig- 
ious crusades,  the  national  Fetishes  commanding  and 


72  THE    RELIGION   OF    MAN. 

guiding  their  followers  through  their  priests.  The  jeal- 
ousy of  the  Fetishes,  or  gods,  arrayed  tribe  against  tribe, 
nation  against  nation.  The  words  "foreigner"  and 
"  enemy"  become  synonymous,  war  the  normal  state 
of  mankind,  and  the  slaughter  of  nations  acceptable  sac- 
rifice to  the  gods,  who  love  the  steaming  blood  of  their 
enemies.  This  instinct  of  destruction  at  times  becomes 
so  energetic  that  the  life  of  the  worshipper  is  jeopar- 
dized, the  necessities  of  the  sacrificial  altar  obligating 
incessant  war  to  secure  captives  to  appease  the  anger  of 
the  terrible  gods.  The  Aztecs  carried  this  slaughter  to 
such  excess  that  often  in  default  of  captives  they  drafted 
from  their  own  ranks,  and  from  this  cause  the  nation 
was  rapidly  declining  at  the  time  of  the  Spanish  con- 
quest. The  Jews  furnish  an  appalling  example  of  a 
people  blindly  obeying  the  commands  of  their  Fetish  as 
interpreted  by  their  priests.  Jehovah  is  a  God  of  bat- 
tles ;  commands  the  extermination  of  whole  nations  ; 
the  butchery  of  men  and  children ;  the  prostitution  of 
the  charms  of  woman,  and  countless  unmentionable 
horrors.  Only  among  the  cannibals  of  the  South 
Seas  is  there  a  parallel  example.  The  sacred  historian 
has  recorded  the  slaughter  of  the  Midianites,  the  dis- 
possession of  the  comparatively  refined  and  opulent  Ca- 
naan ites,  with  a  hear tlessn  ess  equalled  only  by  the  fiend- 
ishness  of  the  commands  of  Jevovah. 

The  political  influence  of  such  religion  is  to  encourage 
a  narrow,  intense  patriotism,  and  exclusive  national  iso- 
lation. It  institutes  two  codes — one  for  the  stranger, 
the  other  for  citizens — a  distinction  retained  by  the 
Jews. 

Fetishism  evolves  Polytheism  by  insensible  degrees, 
and  the  two  are  inextricably  blended.  The  worship  of 
the  object  is  transferred  to  the  spirit,  but  to  the 


PHALLIC   WOKSHIP.  73 

very  latest  the  image  is  preserved,  and  the  Polytheist 
bestows  quite  as  much  adoration  on  the  one  as  on  the 
other. 


IV. 

PHALLIC  WORSHIP. 

Though  before  thee  the  throned  Cytherian 

Be  fallen,  and  hidden  her  head, 
Yet  thy  kingdom  shall  pass,  Galilean, 

Thy  dead  shall  go  down  to  the  dead. 

— SWINBURNE. 

THE  preceding  chapters,  descriptive  of  theological 
and  cosmological  progress,  the  rise  of  polytheism  and 
advance  to  monotheism,  is  really  only  a  representation 
of  the  branches  and  a  portion  of  the  trunk  of  the  great 
tree  of  religious  thought  which  strikes  its  roots  down- 
ward through  the  dim  prehistoric  ages  into  underlying 
strata  of  spiritual  development. 

In  the  study  of  the  religious  progress  of  the  races  of 
mankind,  everywhere  is  met  more  or  less  obscure  strands 
coming  up  from  some  unknown  older  faith  ;  the  rem- 
nants of  a  great  mental  and  religious  culture  on  lines  of 
thought  entirely  different  from  those  pursued  at  the 
present  day,  although  religious  systems  preserve  in  their 
phraseology  the  impress  of  that  faith.  The  study  of 
these  constantly  reminds  the  student  of  the  mingling  of 
two  strata  ;  the  blending  of  the  conceptions  of  nature  of 
an  older  and  newer  people  ;  and  while  the  ideas  transmit- 
ted from  the  Old  modify  and  transform  those  of  the 


74  THE   KELIGIOK   OF   MAN. 

New,  their  origin  is  lost  in  the  mists  of  time.  There  is 
the  Sun  Worship,  with  symbolism  so  complex,  as  ex- 
plained by  later  commentators,  that  one  is  at  a  loss 
whether  the  ancients  received  the  symbols,  or  looked 
beneath  to  the  realities.  This  Solar  "Worship  itself 
reaches  backward  to  an  older  faith,  the  worship  of  the 
generative  principle,  of  which  the  sun,  as  the  great  life 
giver,  is  the  visible  emblem.  Creation  and  procreation 
were  mysteries,  and  as  such  early  awoke  the  attention 
of  the  inquisitive  mind. 

To  the  primitive  children  of  the  Wild  these  mysteri- 
ous processes  were  as  pure  as  the  rising  of  the  sun. 
They  knew  no  shame,  nor  the  delicacy  and  modesty 
which  makes  uncleanly  by  concealment  these  vital  proc- 
esses. To  be  the  prolific  mother  was  the  woman's  am- 
bition, for  thereby  she  became  like  her  ideal  mother  god- 
dess, and  the  virile  father  was  the  the  type  of  the  creative 
power,  the  All  Father.  In  times  as  late  as  the  Patriarchs, 
which  must  be  regarded  as  recent,  there  was  nothing 
like  modern  delicacy  in  treating  of  this  subject.  They 
were  not  ashamed  to  speak,  because  they  considered  birth 
a  plain  interposition  of  the  gods,  and  their  acts  could 
not  be  of  shame.  The  same  phase  of  thought  is  seen  in 
the  worship  of  Hindustan,  where  the  Phallic  Symbols 
literally  sculptured,  of  gigantic  size,  are  bowed  before  by 
reverential  devotees,  without  a  thought  prurient  or  un- 
clean. Yet  the  missionaries  were  filled  with  horror  at 
the  spectacle,  which  to  their  corrupt  minds  suggested 
only  foulness  and  degradation,  and  they  wrote  mournful 
accounts  of  the  terrible  spiritual  condition  of  these  poor 
heathen,  who  really  were  worshipping  as,  will  hereafter 
be  shown,  the  original  form  of  the  symbol  the  mission- 
aries regarded  as  the  emblem  of  their  faith,  the  holy  cross. 

In  the  ancient  temples  of  India  the  sculptures  pre- 


PHALLIC   WORSHIP.  75 

serve  the  earliest  form  of  this  worship  of  the  generative 
principles,  male  and  female,  with  gigantic  literal  em- 
blems, and  the  circle  of  upright  stones  of  the  Druid 
worship  ;  the  cairn  ;  the  post  of  the  American  Indian, 
with  its  splash  of  red  paint,  rudely  express  the  same 
faith.  Here  is  the  beginning  of  the  study  of  the  devel- 
opment of  religion,  and,  although  fragmentary,  affords 
one  of  the  most  fascinating  fields  for  investigation.  Un- 
fortunately, in  a  volume  like  the  present,  the  necessities 
of  modern  thought  must  be  complied  with,  and  this 
oldest  faith  must  be  guardedly  spoken  of  with  veiled 
words,  suggestive  rather  than  expressive.  Subjects  once 
spoken  of  with  the  same  freedom  as  the  flowers  or  the 
sunshine  are  now  relegated  to  silence,  and  mentioned 
only  with  a  self -accusing  blush. 

It  is  thus  impracticable  to  enter  into  the  detail  of  the 
subject  and  give  full  value  to  this  wonderful  faith,  the 
understanding  of  which  makes  plain  the  mysteries  of 
modern  religions ;  yet  we  may  define  its  outline  with 
sufficient  distinctness,  and  fill  in  the  sketch  here  and 
there  with  lights  and  shades  most  essential,  so  that  at 
least  a  partial  conception  may  be  gained,  sufficient  for 
the  purpose  of  this  investigation. 

The  Mysteries,  the  religion  of  the  cultivated  nations 
of  antiquity,  were  founded  on  Phallic  and  Sun  Worship. 
They  were  revered  by  the  Egyptians  and  polished  by 
the  aesthetic  Greek.  Such  charms  and  attractions  were 
thrown  around  them,  so  vividly  were  the  secrets  of  life 
and  death  presented  to  the  votary,  that  Cicero  says, 
"  Men  came  from  the  most  distant  shores  to  be  initiated 
at  Eleusis  ;"  and  Sophocles  remarks,  "  True  life  is  to  be 
found  only  among  the  initiates  ;  all  other  places  are  full 
of  evil." 

The  Mysteries  was  the  great  church  of  the  ancient 


76  THE   RELIGION   OF   MAN". 

world,  in  which  concentrated  all  its  hopes,  and  from 
which  Christianity  drew  the  major  part  of  its  doctrines. 
The  efforts  of  Julian  to  stay  the  tide  of  Christian  inno- 
vation and  restore  the  old  doctrines,  the  numerous  pro- 
tests furnished  by  history,  show  how  deeply  rooted  was 
this  old  faith  in  the  hearts  of  the  people. 

The  Ancient  Religions  were  embodied  in  and  perpetu- 
ated by  the  Mysteries.  They  were  secret  orders  instituted 
by  the  priesthood  in  Egypt,  Persia,  and  all  the  countries 
of  Western  Asia,  among  the  Brahmins  of  India  and  in 
Greece.  In  the  East  a  more  profound  metaphysical 
philosophy  was  taught  with  their  rites,  which  in  Greece 
assumed  more  aesthetic  forms. 

Only  priests  were  admitted  into  the  most  inner  court, 
the  Holy  of  Holies,  but  laymen  might  take  the  first  de- 
grees or  enter  the  outer  chambers.  Perhaps  there  can 
be  no  more  apt  illustration  of  these  degrees  than  in  the 
workings  of  Masonry,  from  the  apprentice  to  the  mas- 
ter, and  ascending  to  the  highest  degree.  The  Chris- 
fiian  Church,  in  its  early  formation,  copied  the  popular 
Pagan  Mysteries,  and  distinguished  its  devotees  of  the 
grades  of  the  initiates  as  Neophytes  (1  Timothy  3  :  6), 
spiritual  and  perfect. 

The  Eleusian  Mysteries  are  best  known,  and  yet  from 
their  secret  character  little  can  be  gathered  of  their  most 
esoteric  rites  or  doctrines  ;  but  from  the  allusions  made 
by  different  classic  authors,  a  faint  idea  may  be  gathered 
of  their  surpassing  beauties  and  awful  terrors.  The 
references  made  by  those  authors  are  veiled  and  guarded, 
for  the  gods  were  swift  to  deal  vengeance  on  any  one 
•who  should  reveal  the  doctrines  or  rites  of  the  interior 
circles  ;  and  it  was  deemed  unsafe  to  dwell  in  the  same 
house  with  such  a  wretch,  whom,  if  the  gods  spared,  was 
ignominiously  put  to  death. 


PHALLIC   WOKSHIP.  77 

Christ  defended  himself — at  least  his  biographer  places 
the  defence  in  his  mouth — when  accused  of  uttering 
parables,  because  to  his  disciples  the  mysteries  of  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  were  known  ;  but  the  multitude  did 
not  know,  nor  was  it  fitting  that  they  should. 

Apuleius  thus  describes  his  initiation  as  far  as  lawful 
for  him  to  do  : 

"  I  approached  the  confines  of  death  ;  and  having 
trodden  on  the  threshold  of  Proserpina,  returned,  hav- 
ing been  carried  through  all  the  elements.  In  the  depths 
of  midnight  I  saw  the  sun  glittering  with  a  splendid 
light,  together  with  the  supernal  and  infernal  gods  ;  and 
to  these  divinities  approaching  near  I  paid  the  tribute 
of  devout  adoration." 

Those  who  received  the  Epoptea,  or  final  degree,  be- 
held the  gods  ;  became  seers  and  clairvoyants,  realizing 
what  the  soul  will  enjoy  in  the  next  life.  As  celebrated 
at  Eleusis,  the  Mysteries  far  eclipsed  in  singular  mag- 
nificence and  imposing  grandeur  all  others  of  the  world, 
and  ancient  writers  take  delight  in  exalting  and  gather- 
ing the  clouds  of  fancy  around  them. 

The  Mysteries  were  established  about  fourteen  cen- 
turies before  Christ ;  and  such  was  their  hold  on  the 
popular  mind,  that  for  eighteen  hundred  years  they  were 
celebrated,  and  were  only  abolished  by  the  severity  of 
the  bigoted  Theodosius  the  Great.  He  would  have  none 
of  the  old  faith  except  that  absorbed  by  the  Church. 

During  all  these  ages  the  Mysteries  were  held  in  pro- 
found reverence  as  containing  all  spiritual  knowledge. 
The  stigma  of  non-observance  was  far  greater  than  that 
attending  infidelity  at  present. 

Every  five  years  all  Greece  assembled  at  Eleusis  in 
Attica  to  celebrate  these  solemnities.  The  Lesser  Mys- 
teries were  the  lower  degrees,  into  the  first  of  which  all 


78  THE    RELIGION    OF    MAX. 

could  enter,  and  were  held  more  frequently.  The 
Eleusian  or  Greater  Mysteries  were  the  higher  degrees. 
A  vast  concourse  gathered  on  the  plains,  around  a 
splendid  temple  erected  over  a  cavern,  in  which,  at  an 
earlier  day,  the  rites  were  first  held.  This  cave  was  ex- 
cavated into  a  labyrinth  of  passages,  in  which  the  novi- 
tiate could  be  led  through  darkness,  until  bewildered 
and  overcome  with  terror  and  fatigue.  This  temple  was 
of  the  purest  Doric  architecture,  its  endless  colonnades 
chiselled  from  snowy  marble,  without  spot  or  stain.  It 
stood  on  a  swell  of  ground,  and  could  be  seen,  rising  in 
crystal  beauty,  by  all  the  mighty  multitude.  Over  its 
front  was  a  colossal  head  of  Jupiter,  calm,  beneficent, 
all-powerful.  On  either  side  a  statue  of  Ceres  smiled  on 
the  passing  worshipper. 

All  the  effect  produced  by  grandeur  of  architecture 
or  beauty  of  form  was  lavishly  bestowed.  Persons  of 
both  sexes,  and  without  regard  to  age,  were  initiated. 
They  had  first  to  enter  the  Lesser  Mysteries  of  Agrae  on 
a  previous  year ;  at  the  expiration  of  which  time  they 
subjected  themselves  to  a  rigid  system  of  purification. 
For  nine  days  they  bathed  and  fasted,  keeping  them- 
selves un contaminated  by  the  world.  Then  they  pre- 
sented themselves  before  the  temple  of  the  Greater  Mys- 
tery. Athens  has  assembled — old  men  and  young,  hus- 
band and  wife,  and  prattling  babe.  Athens  has  betaken 
herself  to  the  field  for  a  time,  to  indulge  in  free  com- 
munion with  nature  and  the  divine  spirits,  whom  she 
believes  govern  the  world.  Those  who  await  initiation 
— the  indoctrinization  into  their  subtle  wisdom — have 
crowns  of  flowers,  and  offer  sacrifices  and  prayers. 
Under  their  feet  they  wear  the  skin  of  some  animal 
offered  to  Jupiter.  Then  they  offer  a  sow  to  Ceres, 
in  thankfulness  for  the  benefactions  of  the  goddess. 


PHALLIC    WORSHIP.  79 

They  are  then  prepared  to  enter  the  presence  of  the 
gods,  having  overcome  the  sins  of  the  body.  Night  set- 
tles over  the  mountains  of  the  most  beautiful  country 
on  the  earth.  The  stars  flash  from  the  pure  azure  sky, 
as  though  the  watchfires  of  heaven  responded  to  the 
camp-fires  dotting  the  vast  plain.  The  approaches  of 
the  temple  are  thronged  with  people,  those  to  be  initiated 
and  those  assisting  in  giving  them  their  first  lessons. 
Crowned  with  myrtle,  the  aspirants  are  led  to  the  vesti- 
bule of  the  temple,  and  are  received  by  attendant  priests. 
At  the  door  was  a  fountain  of  holy  water,  in  which  they 
washed.  Above  this  in  a  recess  sat  a  priest,  who,  with 
a  low,  calm,  but  terrible  voice,  asked  the  candidates, 
one  by  one,  the  following  questions,  all  of  which  they 
must  answer  in  the  affirmative  or  be  at  once  expelled  : 
"  Have  you  passed  the  mystery  of  Agrae  ?  Are  you  pure 
and  spotless  from  the  world  ?  Are  you  free  from  crime  ?" 
Then  in  impressive  tone  he  chanted,  "  He  who  enters 
must  be  pure,  or  the  gods  will  destroy  him.  He  who 
passes  this  portal  goes  into  a  shadow  from  which  only 
the  just  return.  Oh,  weak,  thoughtless,  and  improvident 
mortal,  daring  to  penetrate  the  realm  of  the  gods  ! 
Aspire  to  truth  and  perfection,  and  strive  to  discard  the 
flesh  and  the  world." 

They  were  then  led  onward,  in  front  of  a  lofty  trib- 
unal, when  the  Mysteries,  or  laws,  were  read  to  them. 
These  were  written  on  two  stones  cemented  together. 
Then  they  were  led  before  another  tribunal,  more  lofty 
and  imposing  than  the  other.  Above  it  was  a  zone,  on 
which  was  painted  the  twelve  signs  of  the  zodiac  ;  on 
its  front  was  a  blazing  sun,  on  either  side  of  which  was 
a  winged  globe.  The  intense  light  beneath  revealed 
the  priest  seated  in  an  ivory  chair,  his  dark  mantle  em- 
broidered with  gold,  and  a  silver  crown  on  his  temples. 


80  THE   RELIGION   OF   MAN. 

All  else  was  blackness  and  profoundest  gloom.  The 
awe-struck  initiates  could  see  nothing  but  the  form  of 
the  priest  glittering  in  the  terrible  darkness.  As  they 
paused  before  him,  he  asked  them  a  series  of  questions 
referring  to  the  conduct  of  their  lives.  When  they  were 
answered  he  waved  them  onward. 

As  they  advanced,  a  terrific  blast  extinguished  their 
dim  torches  ;  the  darkness  became  stifling  ;  the  trem- 
bling worshippers  were  blinded  with  lightning,  that 
seemed  to  hiss  through  the  void.  The  crash  of  thunders 
deafened  their  ears ;  the  earth  swayed  and  quaked 
under  their  feet,  and  from  its  bowels  came  the  most 
frightful  bowlings  and  meanings,  as  of  myriads  of  lost 
souls  writhing  in  the  agony  of  scorching  flames.  Out 
of  the  darkness  leaped  spectres  of  gigantic  and  awful 
outline.  Sometimes  these  shades  threatened  to  destroy 
the  pale  and  trembling  worshipper  ;  at  others  they  mock- 
ingly laughed  and  derided,  and  the  vaulted  rocks  echoed 
their  demoniac  merriment.  Then  others  would  spring 
up,  like  a  body  of  flame,  and  as  instantly  disappear. 
Then  a  thousand  would  arise  out  of  the  blackness,  and 
with  sound  of  a  whirlwind  rush  toward  the  intruders. 
As  they  came  near  they  vanished,  and  the  place  was  left 
in  night,  and  from  afar  came  the  most  dismal  and  ter- 
rifying wails. 

Such  were  the  sufferings  of  those  who  were  untrue  to 
the  Mysteries,  who  revealed  the  secrets  there  entrusted  ; 
of  those  who  were  unjust  and  evil  on  earth,  and  who 
disregarded  the  rights  of  their  fellow-men. 

Not  one,  not  even  the  stoutest-hearted  soldier,  could 
endure  this  terrible  ordeal  without  fear.  The  initiates 
sank,  stupefied,  on  the  marble  floor,  and  stared  vacantly 
at  the  horrid  forms  of  men,  the  fly  ing  dragons  and  scor- 
pions, the  huge  and  ravenous  beasts  and  birds  of  prey, 


PHALLIC    WOESHIP.  81 

which  winged  hissing  above  them.  Their  hair  stood  up- 
right, and  the  cold  perspiration  beaded  on  their  rigid 
foreheads.  Their  guide  assumed  the  form  of  a  demon, 
and  if  they  failed  to  follow,  dragged  them  through  the 
labyrinthine  passages.  Hoarse  voices  shrieked  behind 
them,  to  seize  and  destroy  the  outcasts,  and  drag  them 
with  vulture  beaks  into  the  abysm  of  fire.  The  hissing 
of  their  breath  was  close  ;  they  seemed  in  myriad  num- 
bers ;  their  very  touch  could  be  felt  by  the  initiates, 
who  were  too  frightened  to  escape.  Then,  in  an  in- 
stant, light  broke  in  a  glistering  flood  of  silver  over  the 
scene.  They  stood  in  a  magnificent  hall,  lighted  from 
an  azure  dome  above,  by  a  light  like  the  sun's.  Marble 
pillars  supported  it  on  every  side,  between  which,  in 
various  attitudes,  the  gods  and  goddesses  were  chiselled 
from  Parian.  Surges  of  most  exquisite  melody  filled  the 
place,  and  thrilled  the  soul  with  unspeakable  admira- 
tion ;  they  beheld  a  being  clothed  in  white,  with  silver 
embroidery,  descending  from  a  throne,  and  taking  each 
by  the  hand,  pronounce  the  words,  "  It  is  finished." 
That  is,  the  moral  lessons  ;  for  the  last  and  most  signifi- 
cant symbol  was  yet  to  be  presented  as  the  final  act  in 
the  terrible  drama. 

Proved  and  instructed  by  the  Archpriest,  who  had 
been  his  steadfast  guide,  the  dazed  initiate  was  led  down 
to  a  pool  in  the  floor  of  the  temple,  in  the  side  of  which 
was  a  cleft  in  the  wall  symbolizing  the  Yoni  or  female 
organ  of  generation,  of  sufficient  size  to  admit  the  pas- 
sage of  a  man.  This  passage  was  the  Second  Birth, 
which  the  initiate  was  to  undergo. 

Freed  from  the  sins  of  the  past,  having  expiated  those 
of  the  flesh,  he  was  now  to  receive  regeneration  by  water, 
and  become  the  more  especial  care  of  the  gods.  As  he 
stood  on  the  brink  of  this  pool,  the  moral  lessons  were 


82  THE    KELIGIOST   OF   MAN. 

repeated,  and  fearful  warnings  if  lie  proved  untrue  to 
the  holy  trust  reposed  in  him.  The  Mountain  Cavern 
travailed  and  groaned  with  terrible  throes,  and  every 
known  device  was  employed  to  impress  the  votary  with 
the  fearful  responsibility  of  his  position. 

As  all  living  beings  are  gestated  in  water,  and  as  it 
precedes  birth,  it  was  thought  to  be  a  creator  and  of 
sacred  character,  and  one  of  the  four  vital  elements.  As 
the  first  birth,  so  must  be  the  second.  The  initiate  was 
plunged  into  the  pool,  just  as  he  was  emersed  before 
birth,  and  after  this  ablution,  which  washed  away  and 
made  him  pure  and  free  from  stain  of  sin,  he  was  thrust 
through  the  opening,  and  found  himself  outside  the 
temple,  surrounded  by  his  waiting  friends,  who  greeted 
him  with  shouts  of  joy.  He  was  too  exhausted  to  stand 
erect  for  several  hours,  but  he  had  met  with  the  greatest 
spiritual  change  possible  to  man.  He  had  entered  a  new 
world;  his  sins  had  been  "  washed  away  ;"  he  had  re- 
ceived the  second  birth.  Henceforth  he  regarded  him- 
self, and  was  regarded,  as  an  especial  favorite  of  the 
gods. 

The  consecrated  water  in  which  the  good  Catholic 
dips  his  fingers  and  signs  himself  with  the  cross  when 
entering  a  place  of  worship  exactly  preserves  the  symbol 
of  the  ancient  rites.  The  baptism  of  the  second  birth 
is  preserved  in  a  barren  form  by  Protestant  sects  in  im- 
mersion, which  washes  away  all  sins,  and  in  a  fainter 
manner  in  sprinkling  the  face  with  the  cross,  emblem 
of  prenatal  life. 

The  primitive  idea  is  preserved  in  the  word  regenera- 
tion. Its  origin  is  forgotten  in  the  spiritual  symboliz- 
ing, as  is  invariably  the  case  with  all  these  Phallic  rites. 
The  Christian  dogma  of  "  the  Second  Birth"  is  a  di- 
rect continuance  of  this  practice.  When  St.  John  says, 


PHALLIC   WORSHIP.  83 

(3  :  3),  "  Except  a  man  be  born  again,  he  cannot  see  the 
kingdom  of  God,  and  except  a  man  be  born  of  water 
and  the  spirit  he  cannot  enter  the  kingdom  of  God," 
he  expresses  in  Greek  what  the  Magians  had  spoken  in 
their  tongues  a  thousand  years  previously,  and  the  idea 
of  Christians  of  to-day. 

If  it  is  sinful  to  be  born  into  the  flesh,  purity  requires 
escape  from  its  defilement.  The  stern  necessities  of  life 
prevent  relief  by  cutting  short  the  cords  of  earthly  exist- 
ence. Hence  the  spirit,  scorning  its  limitations,  dis- 
gusted with  the  coarse  and  corrupt  matter  with  which  it 
has  to  consort,  symbolizes  its  delivery  therefrom.  The 
Mysteries  furnished  the  means  of  deliverance.  The 
chafing  spirit  need  not  await  the  tardy  separation  from 
the  body  by  death  ;  it  could  gain  the  coveted  prize  by 
initiation,  wherein  it  met  a  "  second  birth,"  as  the 
Christian  now  has  a  "  change  of  heart."  What  this 
phrase,  so  often  used  by  Christians,  really  meant  in  its 
original  acceptation,  few  of  them  know,  and  if  they  did, 
perhaps  they  would  not  use  it  so  flippantly. 

Such  were  the  Greater  Mysteries. 

Out  of  the  blackness  and  turmoil  ;  out  of  the  insane 
madness,  the  death-grappling  of  this  life  ;  out  of  its 
seething  trials  and  groans  of  anguish,  its  night  of  sor- 
row and  pain,  comes  the  light,  the  bright  day  of  joy, 
the  beautiful  day  of  peace  and  ever-enduring  happiness. 
In  ourselves  we  are  nothing.  The  gods  are  all  in  all. 
Rely  on  their  guidance  and  reject  the  sham  of  this  life. 
Such  was  the  lesson  burned  into  the  heart,  branded  in- 
delibly into  the  fibres  of  the  soul. 

All  that  was  awful,  terrific,  amazing,  dreadful,  was 
presented  ;  and  after  it  the  sinking  soul  was  lifted  to 
heaven,  on  the  wings  of  all  that  please  and  delight. 

What  were  the  words  read  from  the  tablets  of  stone, 


84  THE    RELIGION   OF   MAN. 

for  which  these  Mysteries  were  an  introduction  and  a 
safeguard  ?  So  profoundly  was  the  knowledge  of  them 
concealed  that  historians  have  never  obtained  a  syllable. 
They  were,  probably,  the  rules  for  moral  conduct,  simi- 
lar to  those  which  Moses  gave  the  Israelites — principles 
which  man  early  learns,  and  which  naturally  arrange 
themselves  into  a  moral  code. 

The  Mysteries  were  celebrated  for  nine  days,  during 
which  all  distinctions  of  rank  and  wealth  were  abolished. 
Lycurgus  passed  a  law  that  any  woman  who  should  at- 
tend in  a  chariot  should  be  fined  six  thousand  drachmas. 
These  nine  days  were  filled  with  interesting  and  curious 
episodes.  The  meeting  on  the  first  day  was  that  of  a 
social  gathering,  after  which  they  bathed  in  the  sea  to 
purify  themselves  ;  offered  a  small  quantity  of  barley  to 
Ceres,  the  goddess  of  the  harvest,  and  to  all  the  gods. 

Were  the  ceremonies  coarse  and  vulgar  ?  These  an- 
cient people  saw  nothing  impure  in  their  ideas  of  crea- 
tion and  purification.  They  made  real  in  practice  that 
which  is  vaguely  symbolized  by  Christians,  and  held  of 
vital  cons'equence  in  that  faith. 

If,  however,  the  theories  of  the  ancients  were  errone- 
ous, then  all  the  changing  dogmas  based  thereon  are 
necessarily  false,  and  however  sublimated  and  spiritual- 
ized, being  erroneous  in  their  inception,  are  erroneous 
in  their  last  expression. 

The  doctrine  of  the  "second  birth"  or  "regenera- 
tion" grew  out  of  a  mistaken  view  of  nature,  and  hence, 
however  spiritualized,  must  be  as  erroneous  as  its  source. 

There  is  no  antagonism  between  spirit  and  matter. 
There  is  no  inherent  or  original  sin  for  which  the  spirit 
must  atone.  One  birth,  that  which  ushers  into  exist- 
ence, is  quite  sufficient,  nor  would  anything  be  gained 
by  a  thousand  successive  gestations.  Creation  is  not 


PHALLIC    WORSHIP.  85 

such  a  botch  and  sham  as  to  need  a  theological  tinker 
at  every  turn.  It  moves  forward  with  the  irresistible 
force  of  destiny.  And  regeneration  is  by  means  of  in- 
herent growth  affected  day  by  day  and  hour  by  hour, 
through  all  future  time. 

There  were  special  Mysteries  for  the  women,  the  festi- 
val of  Ceres,  the  prolific  Mother,  the  blended  embodi- 
ment of  the  sun- myth  and  Phallic  worship.  The  myth 
is  most  beautifully  adorned  by  Grecian  fancy,  and  re- 
flects more  clearly,  because  reaching  further  into  antiq- 
uity than  that  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  the  genesis  of  the 
story  as  a  sun-myth.  The  philosopher  interpreted  it 
as  a  poem  of  solar  changes,  the  common  people  accepted 
it  literally,  and  the  adorable  goddess  became  all  and 
more  to  them  than  the  Virgin  to  the  devout  Catholic. 

Ceres  was  the  embodiment  of  the  full  fruition  of  the 
year,  when  the  husbandman  gathered  the  golden  grain, 
the  blushing  apple,  the  wine-giving  grape.  It  was  the 
divine  Ceres  who  gave  them,  and  he  poured  out  libations 
of  wine  and  offered  cakes  of  grain  as  an  expression  of 
his  thankfulness.  We,  in  our  dull,  tame  day  of  accurate 
knowledge,  know  little  of  the  feelings  of  the  ancients 
when  they  peopled  the  groves,  the  rivers  and  the  moun- 
tains, the  earth  and  the  stars,  with  divine  beings. 

They  who  read  in  mythologies  the  story  of  Ceres,  and 
take  it  in  a  literal  sense,  wholly  misunderstand  the 
genius  of  the  Grecian  mind.  The  story  is  that  of  the 
changing  year,  and  is  an  exquisite  poem,  as  the  story 
of  every  year  is  a  rounded  and  complete  poem. 

Ceres  is  the  goddess  of  an  agricultural  people — a  people 
of  honest  thought,  free  from  subtlety  or  guile  ;  for  labor 
gives  honesty  of  thought,  and  Ceres  was  the  goddess  of 
labor.  She  was  to  woman  what  Hercules  was  to  man, 
the  giver  of  great  labors,  and  the  Mother  of  Peace. 


86  THE    RELIGION    OF    MAN. 

Yet  her  great,  all -bestowing  heart  is  wrung  by  unut- 
terable sorrow.  In  the  spring  her  beautiful  daughter, 
Proserpine,  goes  down  to  the  sea  gathering  flowers — so 
runs  the  story — and  is  carried  away  by  Pluto,  the  god  of 
darkness. 

Ceres,  when  she  knew  of  her  loss,  tore  off  her  head- 
band,releasing  her  tresses,  put  on  garments  of  woe,  and, 
with  funeral  torch,  rushed  over  the  world  in  search  of  her 
child.  Even  the  gods  were  silent  to  the  questions  of 
her  mother's* heart,  until  the  sun  in  compassion  revealed 
all  to  her.  In  the  depths  of  her  sorrow,  stung  by  the 
sense  of  the  great  injustice,  she  resolves  never  to  return 
to  heaven  ;  she  will  wander  forever  on  the  earth. 

Broken  in  spirit  and  untimely  old,  four  beautiful 
maidens,  daughters  of  the  king,  conduct  her  to  their 
motber,  who  sits  with  her  last  babe  at  her  breast.  "  Give 
me  the  child  to  nourish,''  cries  the  heart  of  tbe  goddess. 
She  takes  it,  and  attempts  to  feed  it  on  nectar  and  am- 
brosia, and  thus  make  it  immortal.  Alas  !  she  fails, 
but  contents  herself  in  the  assurance  that  her  adopted 
son  will  become  a  great  and  good  man. 

She  is  more  inconsolable,  and  goes  forth  on  her  wan- 
derings. 

The  earth,  deprived  of  her  influence,  becomes  sterile. 
There  is  no  harvest,  animals  perish,  and  the  gods  are 
famished  because  there  are  no  sacrifices  offered  by  suffer- 
ing man.  They  appeal  to  Ceres  to  return  to  her  sway. 
"  No  ;  give  me  back  my  daughter." 

At  last  Pluto  is  forced  to  comply.  Proserpine  is 
yielded  to  the  embrace  of  her  mother,  but  alas  !  she  has 
partaken  of  food  in  the  under  world,  and  must  return. 

Exquisitely  beautiful  story  of  maternal  love  and 
daughterly  devotion,  in  which  is  expressed  the  philoso- 
phy of  life  and  death  ! 


PHALLIC   WOESHIP.  87 

Proserpine  is  the  seed,  which  must  be  torn  from  its 
mother  and  planted  in  the  under  world,  or  earth,  to 
spring  up  into  life.  The  four  beautiful  daughters  of 
the  king  are  the  four  seasons,  and  the  babe  which  Ceres 
adopted  and  attempted  to  make  immortal  while  on  earth 
is  man.  She  failed  in  this,  but  she  made  him  a  worker 
and  a  helper.  He  prepares  the  soil  for  the  seed,  and  his 
hands  shall  gather  the  harvest. 

Imbued  with  the  full  sense  of  this  myth,  enveloping 
the  seasons  and  life  as  a  living  faith,  who  can  wonder 
that  the  women  of  Greece  devotedly  kept  the  festivals  in 
honor  of  their  goddesses  !  Proserpine,  when  she  came 
in  the  spring,  clothing  the  earth  with  flowers,  was  re- 
ceived with  joy,  and  in  autumn  there  was  the  Thesmop- 
Jioria,  or  festival  of  Ceres  or  of  women.  Then  the 
Grecian  matrons  abandoned  their  husbands  and  gathered 
at  Eleusis  or  on  the  sea-shore,  and  for  several  days  per- 
formed certain  rites,  among  which  was  carrying  the 
laws  of  Ceres  in  procession.  Those  laws  were  laws  of 
peace,  for  this  religion  was  emphatically  a  woman's  re- 
ligion. They  prescribed  love  of  family  and  detestation 
of  blood.  No  animal  must  be  offered  as  sacrifice  ;  noth- 
ing but  fruits,  grains,  and  flowers.  They  inculcated  the 
spirit  of  peace  even  in  war.  When  they  returned  to 
their  homes,  these  mothers  bore  the  laws  with  them,  and 
bound  their  husbands  by  oath  to  maintain  them.  On 
these  laws  arose  the  Athenian  altar  of  Compassion,  and 
from  these  Peace  became  deified.  Ceres  was  the  god- 
dess of  humanity. 

Not  only  does  her  story  reveal  the  changes  of  the  year — 
the  death  of  summer,  the  long  burial  of  winter,  and  the 
resurrection  of  spring — it  passes  beyond  the  horizon  of 
earthly  things,  and  solves  the  problem  of  immortality. 
What  is  more  like  the  death  of  the  body  and  resurrec- 


88  THE    RELIGION    OF   MAX. 

tion  of  the  spirit  than  the  life  of  Proserpine  ?  St.  Paul, 
deeply  versed  in  the  wisdom  of  Greece,  in  that  wonder- 
ful chapter  of  Corinthians  (15)  uses  the  illustration  with 
startling  effect  : 

"  That  which  thou  so  west  is  not  quickened,  except  it 
die,"  etc. 

The  Virgin  Mary,  the  Divine  Mother,  as  received  by 
the  Christian  Church,  was  not  an  original  creation,  but 
transplanted  from  the  mythology  of  the  pagan  world. 
To  free  her  incarnate  God-child  from  the  sinfulness  of 
matter,  it  was  essential  to  free  the  mother  from  contact 
with  matter,  and  hence  the  miraculous  conception. 
The  Queen  of  Heaven,  the  Mother  of  God,  the  Im- 
maculate Virgin  in  Egypt,  was  Isis,  Mother  of  the  in- 
fant Horus,  Mediator,  and  Saviour  of  mankind.  It 
was  a  charming  fancy. 

The  followers  of  Jesus  slowly  arrived  at  the  logical 
necessity  of  assuming  his  miraculous  birth.  His  par- 
entage must  have  been  divine  to  meet  its  requirements. 
If  he  is  to  be  a  mediator,  and  his  blood  atone  for  the 
sins  of  the  world,  he  must  have  a  divine  origin.  It  was 
early  seen  that  even  the  divine  fatherhood  did  not  save 
Jesus  from  the  sin  of  the  mother.  This  necessity  was 
recognized  by  the  authors  of  the  Apocryphal  Gospels, 
and  they  strive  to  supply  the  missing  link  by  narrations 
of  the  birth  of  Mary,  more  astonishing  than  those  told 
about  that  of  Jesus. 

With  a  divine  father  and  mother  the  divinity  of  the 
child  was  perfect. 

Maia,  mother  of  Buddha,  conceived  by  a  ray  of  light ; 
the  mother  of  Christna  by  influencing  the  god  ;  the 
mother  of  Jesus,  most  glorious  of  them  all,  must  have 
had  equally  divine  parentage  ;  and  thus  the  humble  wife 
of  Joseph  became  the  divine  Mother,  and  each  succeed- 


PHALLIC    WOKSHIP.  89 

ing  age  her  ideal  changed  from  the  beautiful  type  of 
motherhood,  the  glad-hearted  woman  holding  proudly 
her  divine  child,  who  by  his  excellence  and  moral  char- 
acter was  to  become  a  constantly  perfecting  model  for 
all  coming  ages,  to  the  pale  and  weeping  mother 
with  heavy  eyes  and  ashy  lips  of  pain.  Only  a  part 
of  the  old  conception  of  the  Virgin  Mother  was  taken. 
When  Isis  had  mourned  for  a  season  the  loss  of 
her  son,  she  rejoiced  because  he  was  found,  and  was 
represented  in  this  character  rather  than  as  a  mourner. 
The  sad-hearted,  persecuted  Christians,  deeply  imbued 
with  the  terrible  dogmas  of  sin  and  evil  from  Asiatic 
sources,  pictured  the  mother  as  weeping  for  the  loss  of 
her  son  on  the  terrible  cross,  overlooking  the  joy  she 
must  have  experienced  at  the  resurrection.  One  was 
the  sympathetic  mother,  who  came  near  the  bleeding 
heart,  and  poured  balm  on  the  bruised  wounds.  The 
other  was  cold,  impassionless,  and  stainless. 

Christianity  was  founded  not  on  Judaism,  but  on  the 
Mysteries.  From  them  it  drew  its  primary  doctrines,  as 
the  trinity,  the  incarnation,  the  resurrection  of  the  dead, 
the  atonement,  hell,  heaven,  Purgatory,  and  the  judg- 
ment day.  To  plainly  point  out  the  Phallic  origin  of  the 
Christian  religion,  and  not  off  end  an  over-fastidious  taste, 
the  outgrowth  of  false  views  of  nature  and  of  life,  is  a 
most  difficult  task,  and  hence  the  treatment  of  the  sub- 
ject must  be  more  suggestive  than  direct.  To  trace  the 
origin  of  the  various  dogmas  to  their  final  retreat  in 
Phallic  worship  or  sun-myths  would  require  volumes, 
and  we  here  only  introduce  some  of  the  more  central 
dogmas. 

The  teachings  of  Jesus  and  his  Apostles  are  tinged 
with  the  Mysteries.  They  classified  their  doctrines  into 
secret  and  common  ;  or  "  The  Mysteries  of  the  King- 


90  THE    RELIGION   OF   MAN. 

dom  of  God"  for  the  Apostles,  and  "Parables"  for 
the  people.  Says  Paul,  "  We  speak  wisdom  among 
them  that  are  perfect"  (initiates).  The  distinction  of 
Neophyte  and  perfect  was  continued  in  the  Christian 
Church. 

Whenever  orthodox  authors  have  written  of  the  origin 
of  religion  they  have  suppressed  everything  adverse  to 
their  conclusions.  In  consequence  their  works  have 
only  the  value  of  an  ex parte  examination,  made  by  in- 
terested and  prejudiced  persons.  Had  the  Christian 
writers  freely  and  faithfully  stated  the  origin  of  their 
doctrines,  as  the  early  writers  did,  there  would  be  no 
controversy  on  that  subject  at  present.  All  these  writers 
acknowledged  their  indebtedness  to  paganism.  Justin 
Martyr,  born  ninety  years  after  Christ,  writes,  "  If, 
then,  we  hold  some  opinions  nearer  akin  to  those  of 
the  poets  and  philosophers  in  most  repute  among  you, 
why  are  we  thus  unjustly  hated  ?  You,  in  saying  that 
all  things  were  thus  made  in  this  beautiful  manner  by 
God,  what  do  you  seem  to  say  more  than  Plato  ?  When 
we  teach  a  general  conflagration,  what  do  we  teach 
more  than  the  Stoics  ?  By  opposing  the  work  of  man's 
hands  we  concur  with  Meander,  the  comedian  ;  and  by 
declaring  the  Logos  the  first  begotten  of  God,  our  Mas- 
ter, Jesus  Christ,  to  be  born  of  a  virgin,  without  any 
human  mixture,  to  be  crucified  and  dead,  and  to  have 
risen  again  and  ascended  into  heaven,  we  say  no  more 
in  this  than  you  say  of  those  whom  you  style  the  Sons 
of  Jove." 

Eusebius  says,  in  his  "  Ecclesiastical  History,"  "  The 
religion  delivered  to  us,  in  the  docrine  of  Christ,  is  not 
a  new  and  strange  doctrine."  Faustus,  A  Manichaean 
bishop,  addressing  St.  Augustine,  says,  "  You  have 
substituted  your  Agapae  for  the  sacrifices  of  the  pagans  ; 


PHALLIC   WORSHIP.  91 

and  for  their  idols,  your  martyrs,  whom  you  serve  with 
the  same  honors  ;  you  appease  the  shades  of  the  dead 
with  wine  and  feasts  ;  you  celebrate  the  solemn  festival 
of  the  Gentiles,  their  calends  and  solstices  ;  and  as  to 
their  manners,  those  you  have  retained  without  any 
alteration.  Nothing  distinguishes  you  from  the  Gen- 
tiles except  your  assemblage  apart  from  them."  The 
spirit  actuating  those  early  church  leaders  was  the  op- 
posite of  love  and  charity.  Tertullian  voices  his  time 
when  he  says,  "  How  shall  I  admire,  how  laugh,  how 
exult,  when  I  behold  so  many  proud  monarchs,  so  many 
fancied  gods,  groaning  in  the  abyss  of  darkness?" 

At  a  later  period,  the  leaders  of  Christianity  sought 
to  conceal  its  origin  by  destroying  the  records  of  the  past, 
and  thus  cutting  it  off  from  its  source,  and  casting  re- 
proach on  paganism.  In  their  zeal  they  paused  not  for 
truth  or  justice.  They  pillaged  the  temples,  and  in- 
dustriously searched  for  manuscripts,  which  they  changed 
or  destroyed  ;  nor  ceased  to  blacken  the  character  of  the 
old  faith. 

Tardy  retribution  has  at  length  overtaken  them,  when 
it  is  proved  that  the  philosophy  of  Plato  is  the  culmi- 
nation of  the  thousands  of  years  of  growth  of  the  Eleu- 
sian  Mysteries.  The  student  will  ask,  "When  has  any 
other  system  borne  such  fruits  ?  Christianity  is  a  limb 
cut  off  from  the  parent  trunk,  and  sapless.  Its  dogmas, 
based  on  pagan  ideas,  are  meaningless  jargon  without 
the  explanatory  key  thus  furnished.  The  symbolism  it 
has  appropriated  had  a  beautiful  significance  to  the 
Grecian  sage,  but  to  the  Christian  of  to-day  is  incom- 
prehensible "  mystery  of  godliness,"  over  which  trained 
theologians  wrangle  in  never-ending  dispute.  The  old 
faith,  which  gathered  all  the  spiritual  truths  of  the  past, 
which  constantly  grew,  and  was  the  bread  and  wine  of 


92  THE   RELIGION   OF   MAN. 

life  for  ages  to  great  races  of  people,  became  sadly  de- 
graded when  for  its  exponents  stark  enthusiasts  took 
the  place  of  the  philosophers,  and  Plato  was  displaced 
by  the  jargon  of  "  the  Fathers." 

To  prove  this  more  than  dogmatic  statement,  we  will 
trace  two  Christian  emblems  to  their  source,  as  illustra- 
tive of  what  may  be  done  with  all  the  others  ;  it  will 
thereby  be  seen  that  the  doctrines  of  Christianity  were 
not  grafted  on  to  paganism,  but  were  the  direct  continu- 
ance of  the  old  forms  under  new  names.  The  popular 
idea  of  Christianity  is  that  it  is  wholly  distinct  from  the 
religious  systems  of  the  pagan  world  which  preceded  or 
was  its  contemporary  ;  that  its  rites,  dogmas,  and  ob- 
servances were  instituted  by  its  founders,  and  without  a 
special  divine  inspiration  it  could  not  have  come  into 
existence  ;  yet  the  researches  of  modern  criticism  in- 
controvertibly  prove  that  this  is  the  reverse  of  the 
truth.  There  is  not  a  fast,  festival,  procession  or  sacra- 
ment, social  custom  or  religious  symbol,  that  did  not 
come  bodily  from  previous  paganism. 

Of  all  the  great  religions,  Christianity  is  most  purely 
Phallic,  as  is  distinctly  shown  by  comparing  its  doc- 
trines and  symbols  with  more  ancient  faiths.  By 
Phallic  is  meant  the  worship  of  the  generative  principle, 
which  is  probably  the  most  ancient  of  all  religions,  and 
which  by  its  universal  acceptance  by  primitive  man  has 
given  its  precepts  and  symbols  to  all  others,  even  those 
of  the  most  civilized  peoples. 

Procreation,  the  most  mysterious  phenomenon  of 
nature,  early  attracted  attention,  and  by  analogy  primi- 
tive man  sought  to  solve  the  problem  of  creation.  As 
offspring  came  from  the  union  of  male  and  female,  so 
all  things  sprang  from  the  union  of  male  and  female 
gods,  types  of  the  active  and  passive  in  nature.  Uence 


PHALLIC   WORSHIP.  93 

the  reverence  for  these  principles  or  gods,  and  for  the 
sexual  parts  (the  Phallus,  male,  and  the  Yoni,  female) 
as  their  types.  These  were  carved  or  drawn  true  to 
nature,  and  became  symbols  of  the  male  and  female  prin- 
ciples, and  their  union  the  expression  of  creative  energy. 
The  devout  worshipper  bowed  before  their  sculptured 
representations.  The  uncultured  instincts  of  primitive 
man  saw  nothing  impure  in  the  act  of  generation,  but 
considered  it  as  one  of  the  divine  processes  of  creation, 
as  sowing  the  seed  ;  the  command  to  increase  and  multi- 
ply became  a  sucred  ordinance,  and  the  act  itself  a  sacra- 
ment to  the  Creator. 

As  Mrs.  Child  well  remarks,  "  Were  they  impure 
thus  to  regard  it  ?  Or  are  we  impure  that  we  do  not 
so  regard  it?  .  .  .  Let  us  not  smile  at  their  mode  of 
tracing  Infinite  and  Incomprehensible  Cause  through 
all  the  mysteries  of  nature,  lest  by  so  doing  we  cast  the 
shadow  of  our  own  grossness  on  their  patriarchal  sim- 
plicity." The  ideas  of  indecency  are  the  result  of  an 
advanced  civilization,  when  the  rites  imposed  by  the 
simplicity  of  the  childhood  of  the  race  become  perverted 
by  licentiousness. 

It  may  be  said  that  this  subject  is  too  delicate  to  dis- 
cuss. We  confess  to  little  sympathy  with  that  senti- 
ment which  prefers  darkness  to  light,  error  to  truth. 
If  it  is  indelicate  to  mention  the  source  of  these  dog- 
mas, how  much  more  indelicate  to  found  a  system  of 
salvation  thereon  ! 

If  there  be  indelicacy  or  sacrilege,  it  is  to  suppose 
that  there  can  be  impropriety  in  any  truth,  or  that  the 
processes  of  nature  are  intrinsically  impure.  We  should 
not,  as  we  honor  and  value  our  humanity,  cover  its 
origin  with  shame.  No  such  thought  pervaded  the 
minds  of  the  ancients  as  they  sought  to  express  their 


94  THE    RELIGION    OF   MAX. 

reverence  for  the  mysteries  of  generation.  A  later 
period  added  the  fig-leaf  of  concealment. 

In  the  dim  and  undefined  prehistoric  age,  out  of 
•which  the  forms  of  Phoenician,  Assyrian,  and  Egyptian 
civilizations  emerge,  Phallic  worship  appears  to  have 
been  universal.  Criticism  confirms  Bryant's  statement 
that  II  or  El  was  at  the  head  of  the  Babylonian  panthe- 
on, and  that  the  Hebrew  Elohim,  Phoenician  Illus,  Cro- 
nus, and  primitive  Saturn  were  names  of  the  same  god, 
represented  by  a  pillar  carved  in  the  form  of  a  Phallus. 
The  name  Baal  Shalisha  (Kings  4  :  42)  gives  an  equiva- 
lent idea,  translated  "my  lord  of  Trinity,"  or,  "the 
triple  male"  Set  or  Seth,  equivalent  to  Saturn,  means 
"the  erect,"  and  Kivan,  said  by  Amos  to  have  been 
worshipped  by  the  Hebrews,  signifies  "  god  of  the  pil- 
lar," and  Baal  Tamar  means  "  god  of  the  Phallus" 
("Symbol  Worship,"  p.  60). 

The  supreme  god  of  the  Assyrians  was  Bel,  "  the 
Procreator."  The  union  with  his  wife,  the  goddess 
Mylitta,  was  the  origin  of  all  created  things.  Virgil 
expresses  the  Greek  and  Roman  idea  when  he  makes  the 
conjugal  act  between  Jupiter  and  Juno  the  cause  of  the 
productions  of  the  earth.  As  at  present  in  India,  the 
Phallus,  as  an  emblem  of  the  Creator,  is  found  in  all 
the  temples,  and  is  carried  in  religious  processions,  the 
Eomans,  when  they  held  the  festival  in  honor  of  Venus, 
a  procession  of  women  carried  the  phallus  and  pre- 
sented it  to  the  goddess. 

As  the  male  principle,  under  whatever  special  or  local 
name,  was  symbolized  by  an  upright  pillar,  more  or  less 
carved  to  represent  the  Phallus,  so  the  female  principle 
was  represented  by  a  conical  one  as  symbolical  of  the 
"  mother  goddess."  This  was  said  to  express  the  form 
of  the  swelling  abdomen.  At  the  temple  of  Ammon, 


PHALLIC    WORSHIP.  95 

in  Libya,  this  symbol  was  borne  in  a  boat  or  ark.  At 
Delphi,  the  navel-stone  of  white  marble  was  kept  in 
a  sacred  sanctuary  (Strabo,  ix.,  420).  The  goddess 
Astarte  was  represented  at  Carthage  in  like  manner,  as 
well  as  on  Cyprian  coins.  The  famous  Caaba  of  Mecca 
is  a  rounded  stone  having  like  significance. 

As  Christianity  is  founded  on  this  ancient  faith,  it  is 
interesting  to  learn  the  ideas  of  these  primitive  peoples. 
It  was  natural  for  them  to  believe  that  the  testes  each 
had  special  functions,  one  giving  male  and  the  other 
female  offspring — a  theory  recently  revived,  but  science 
has  proved  to  be  incorrect. 

According  to  the  analysis  of  Rawlinson,  this  "  con- 
ception gave  origin  to  the  Trinity."  The  Assyrian 
triad  of  Ashur,  Anu,  Hea  (the  membrane  virile  and 
testes),  were  united  with  the  goddess  Bellis,  forming  the 
perfect  Creator.  Ashur  means  the  "  Upright,"  while 
the  left  testes  was  Anu  and  the  right  Hea — the  three 
forming  the  sacred  Trinity,  the  Three  in  One,  the  great 
"  I  AM."  The  pictured  or  sculptured  representation 
of  these  organs,  or  the  Phallus,  was  received  as  the  em- 
blem of  life,  of  the  creative  energy,  ages  before  the 
Christian  era.  The  devout  follower  of  Isis  suspended 
the  Phallus  from  her  necklace,  as  the  Christian  suspends 
the  cross  to-day.  When  the  pyramids  were  fresh  from 
the  hands  of  their  architects,  and  the  temples  of  the  Nile 
were  in  their  pristine  glory,  around  the  heads  of  the 
"  Queen  of  Heaven,"  and  the  "  Virgin  Mother,"  and 
the  infant  Horus  the  aureole  was  painted,  expressive  of 
their  creative  functions. 

The  Phallus,  by  the  necessities  of  rapid  delineation, 
or  perhaps  of  taste,  which  dictated  the  symbol  instead 
of  the  exact  representation,  became  contracted  to  a  sim- 
ple perpendicular  mark,  with  a  horizontal  one  across  its 


96  THE    RELIGION   OF   MAN. 

top,  and  in  later  times  was  used  as  the  letter  Tau  of 
the  Phoenitic  alphabet.  This  sign  (T)  was  received  as 
a  symbol  of  the  male  Creator  at  least  3000  years  ago, 
and  in  India  is  still  retained. 

The  female  principle,  represented  at  first  true  to  na- 
ture, became  symbolized  by  an  oval  or  circle,  which 
united  with  sun-worship  gave  origin  to  the  aureole  ;  and 
to  express  also  the  threefold  receptivity  of  the  male  triad, 
was  expressed  by  a  triangle,  which  in  later  ages  became 
the  letter  Delta. 

Again,  the  oval  or  circle  was  placed  above  the  cross 
(i)>  symbolizing  the  perfect  and  complete  godhead, 

the  "  three  in  one,"  the  union  of  the  male  and  female, 
whereby  all  created  things  were  evolved.  This  is  its 
most  common  form,  although  it  is  met  with  the  parts 
drawn  true  to  the  organs  they  symbolize.  The  sanctu- 
aries of  Indian  temples  still  furnish  the  cross  formed  of 
intersecting  Phalli,  to  the  horror  of  Christian  mission- 
aries worshipping  in  blissful  ignorance  the  same  em- 
blem of  creation  in  its  conventional  form  of  the  cross. 

Had  they  visited  the  Temple  of  Solomon  when  it  was  * 
in  its  glory,  they  would  have  seen  two  Phallic  columns 
standing  in  its  porch,  carved  so  true  to  nature  that 
they  would  have  required  no  explanation,  and  named 
Jochin  and  Boaz. 

Here  by  the  cross  was  serpent  worship,  made  to  con- 
tribute its  myths  to  form  the  sacred  history  of  Chris- 
tianity. The  cross  was  represented  as  the  Tree  of  Life, 
as  it  became  an  emblem  of  Eternal  Life.  Around  its 
upright  shaft  the  serpent  twined.  The  serpent, 
strangest  of  living  beings,  and  carrying  life  and  death 
in  its  poison  fangs,  first  awoke  fear,  curiosity,  and  at 
last  worship. 


PHALLIC   WOESHIP.  97 

Thus  Christianity  adopted  the  cross,  the  central  sym- 
bol of  its  faith,  from  the  pagan  world  !  The  devout 
maiden  may  blush  to  hear  that  the  diamond  cross  she 
wears  on  her  breast  is  only  a  disguised  Phallus,  and  in- 
dicates almost  the  same  ideas  of  the  more  truthful  sym- 
bol worn  by  Egyptian  ladies  four  thousand  years  ago  ; 
reverently  kissed  by  Syrian  matrons,  or,  crowned  with 
flowers,  carried  in  procession  by  the  women  of  Hindu- 
stan. If  the  cross  was  thus  boldly  usurped,  forms  and 
ceremonies  were  bodily  transferred.  The  "  Virgin 
Mother"  is  the  goddess  Isis,  and  her  immaculate  infant 
is  the  Child  Horus,  Blessed  Babe,  and  Saviour  of  the 
Nile.  The  name  Madonna  is  an  exact  translation  of  the 
Sanskrit  Isi.  The  lotus  has  become  the  lily,  the  charm- 
ing sistrum  has  been  replaced  by  the  hideous  clanging 
bell,  the  high  cap  and  hooked  staff  of  the  Egyptian  God 
has  become  the  bishop's  mitre  and  crosier  ;  the  celibate 
monks  and  nuns  (the  latter  a  purely  Egyptian  word) 
dedicated  to  the  Phallic  worship  have  been  transferred 
to  the  "  Virgin  and  Son  ;"  the  erect  oval,  type  of  the 
female  principle,  or  the  Yoni,  became  the  aureole,  or 
rather  the  aureole  itself  was  transferred  with  head  of  Isis, 
mother  of  Horus,  now  renamed  the  mother  of  Christ. 
(See  "  Gnostics  and  their  Remains,"  King,  p.  71.) 
Even  the  sacred  vessels  of  the  pagan  Mysteries  became 
those  of  the  holy  communion.  The  emblem  of  the  fish, 
held  sacred  by  Buddhists,  Egyptians,  Babylonians,  and 
Assyrians,  and  prescribed  as  diet  on  certain  days  and 
ceremonies,  because  such  diet  was  supposed  to  be  favor- 
able to  reproduction,  was  not  overlooked.  And  as  the 
pagan  ate  fish  on  Friday,  a  day  consecrated  to  Venus, 
for  reasons  quite  apparent  to  one  receiving  the  Phallic 
religion,  Christianity  accepted  the  day  and  the  diet. 
The  legend  of  the  Apostles  being  fishermen,  and  of  the 


98  THE    RELIGIOX   OF    MAX. 

loaves  and  fishes,  has  an  undoubted  Phallic  significance. 
When  the  priests  assisted  in  worshipping  the  ancient 
goddesses  whom  Mary  displaced,  they  put  on  feminine 
attire,  hence  the  chemise  and  priestly  robes.  The  ton- 
sured head  was  adopted  from  the  Egyptian  priests,  and 
is  a  remnant  of  the  worship  of  Venus,  the  feminine 
principle  being  a  symbol  like  the  rounded  navel-stone 
of  the  abdomen.  The  sacred  days  of  the  Church  are  all 
pagan,  and  not  only  the  garments  of  the  priests,  but 
the  emblems  of  their  office,  staff,  mitre,  crowns,  etc. 
The  gods  and  heroes  received  new  names  and  became 
saints. 

When  the  village  steeple,  of  a  beautiful  summer  even- 
ing, is  seen  arising  above  the  green  shade,  indicative  of 
the  Christian  worship,  we  pronounce  it  an  inspiring  ob- 
ject, and  would  not  have  it  removed  from  the  landscape. 
Yet  our  thoughts  revert  to  its  origin,  and  if  we  ask  his- 
tory why  churches  have  steeples  and  what  they  signify, 
the  answer  returned  does  not  enhance  our  reverence. 
Is  there  any  meaning  to  a  steeple  or  a  post  with  a  splash 
of  red  on  its  side,  the  rude  stone  pillar,  the  monumental 
shaft,  or  the  dome  surmounted  by  the  gilded  spire? 
What  greater  incongruity  and  inexplicable  nonsense  to 
hew  out  the  obelisk,  build  the  tower  over  the  hero's 
grave,  or  make  the  steeple  more  costly  than  the  church 
it  towers  above,  if  there  is  no  other  meaning  than  human 
desires  and  vanity  ! 

The  primary  significance  is  unknown  to  the  builders, 
who  regard  them  as  appropriate  and  beautiful  because 
of  the  hereditary  bias  given  by  the  primeval  worship 
of  the  generative  principle  of  which  the  steeple,  dome, 
tower,  arid  obelisk  are  modified  emblems.  We  can  now 
explain  the  pride  which  sacrifices  untold  wealth  to  build 
the  tallest  steeple,  emblem  of  the  male,  and  the  highest 


PHALLIC   WORSHIP.  99 

dome,  emblem  of  the  female  principle,  as  a  later  form  of 
the  worship  of  the  pillar  and  navel-stone. 

Column,  tower,  minaret,  and  obelisk — all  have  one 
significance,  slightly  concealed  by  the  requirements  of 
architecture.  Directly  stated,  the  aspiring  steeple,  con- 
nected with  the  "  House  of  God,"  has  a  purely  Phallic 
meaning — "  the  Creator,"  the  "  Great  I  Am."  If  it 
is  crowned  with  a  dome,  it  refers  to  the  Yoni,  the  navel- 
stone,  type  of  the  mother  goddess,  of  Ammon,  of  Delphi, 
of  the  Shrine  of  Isis.  When  the  dome  is  surmounted 
by  the  cross,  there  is  completed  the  symbol  of  the  Phal- 
lic religion. 

The  "  communion,"  under  the  shadow  of  the  Phallic 
steeple,  is  a  mutilated  copy  of  the  pagan  rites,  wherein 
communion  with  the  gods  was  the  euphonious  phrase- 
ology meaning  with  the  women  maintained  in  the  tem- 
ple for  that  object,  as  is  proven  by  the  fact  that  any 
mutilation  unfitted  the  individual  for  the  "  congregation 
of  the  Lord"  (Deut.  23  : 1),  and  that  thirty- two  thousand 
Midianitish  virgins  were  preserved  for  this  purpose.  The 
Hebrew  words  for  "sanctuary,"  "consecrated,"  and 
"  Sodomite"  are  essentially  the  same,  indicating  amatory 
passions.  The  communion  wafer  should  still  retain  its 
original  form  of  the  Phallus  and  Yoni,  as  it  does  in  some 
places  in  France  on  Easter  day. 

Christianity  is  a  translation  of  paganism. 

Was  not  Jesus  crucified  ?  The  tale  is  doubtful. 
Christna,  Prometheus,  Buddha,  and  other  deities  were 
incarnated  ages  before  his  time.  Singular  to  note,  the 
cross  is  never  depicted  as  an  instrument  of  torture,  and 
the  story  of  Christna  is  identically  that  of  Christ,  except 
in  names  and  dates.  Paul  hesitated  not  to  "  lie  for  the 
Lord's  sake,"  and  taught  that  cursed  doctrine  to  his 
followers.  Who  can  unravel  the  mystery  ?  Is  it  worth 


,  100  THE    RELIGION    OF   MAN". 

unravelling  ?  Except  as  a  page  in  the  history  of  belief 
it  is  worthless. 

Christianity,  founded  on  Phallic  conceptions,  is,  true 
to  its  origin,  a  religion  of  feeling,  of  emotion.  Its  basis 
is  the  passions.  To  them  it  makes  its  strongest  appeal, 
and  without  them  it  is  nothing.  Its  watch  cry,  "  God 
is  love,"  has  a  pertinency.  Is  it  strange,  then,  that  in 
seasons  of"  revival,"  under  the  Phallic  cross  and  steeple, 
that  the  emotions  overmaster  the  intellect,  and  that  the 
orgies  of  Babylon  are  repeated  ?  Is  it  to  be  thought 
strange  that  the  priests  of  this  religion,  although  held 
in  check  as  they  are  by  the  civilization  of  our  times, 
are,  in  proportion  to  their  number,  the  most  licentious 
class  ?  or  that  the  strength  cf  the  churches  is  in  the  fe- 
male members,  held  under  the  magnetic  control  of 
"  Ministers  of  the  Cross"  ? 

It  is  the  one  effort  of  the  priesthood  in  all  countries 
and  races  to  hold  the  masses,  and  they  do  this,  not  by 
education,  but  by  and  through  the  emotions  and  pas- 
sions. 

It  is  not  with  a  scoffing  spirit  we  have  studied  this  in- 
teresting subject,  which  exhibits  more,  perhaps,  than 
any  other  the  vital  affiliations  of  religious  systems  how- 
ever diverse,  and  reveals  the  foundation  of  them  all. 
Because  Christianity  is  held  to  be  the  only  true  system, 
of  divine  origin  and  infallible,  it  becomes  necessary  to 
show  its  human  origin  and  relations  to  the  so-called 
pagan  faith.  Superstition  lurks  in  this  stronghold, 
ready  to  clutch  the  throat  of  civilization  ;  and  to  dis- 
lodge this  foe  of  mankind,  and  throw  the  light  of  truth 
through  its  dark  dens  where  dogmas  are  made  plethoric 
by  faith,  is  a  necessity  of  the  time.  The  Church,  the 
steeple,  the  cross,  nourish  the  superstition  on  which 
they  are  founded. 


PHALLIC   WORSHIP.  101 

This  superstition  is  early  impressed  on  the  plastic 
minds  of  children,  preparing  them  for  the  reception  of 
the  seed  sown  from  the  pulpit  and  in  the  Sunday- 
school.  It  is  the  duty  of  all  who  value  liberty  and  free- 
dom of  thought  to  free  their  children  from  the  bondage 
of  creeds  and  false  beliefs,  and  how  can  they  better  ac- 
complish this  than  by  presenting  them  with  the  facts 
of  history  ? 

Do  you  fear  anarchy?  There  may  be  for  a  time  con- 
fusion of  thought.  The  Copernican  system  of  astron- 
omy broke  in  pieces  the  crystalline  spheres  of  Eudoxus, 
yet  astronomy  was  not  harmed.  Without  the  errors 
•which  preceded  him,  Copernicus  would  not  have  ar- 
rived at  the  truth.  They  prepared  the  way. 

So  of  religious  ideas  and  dogmas.  However  false,  they 
have  been  stepping-stones  to  new  and  broader  views. 
The  Triune  God  maybe  proven  only  a  myth,  arising  out 
of  a  false  and  childish  physiological  notion  ;  hell  may 
be  shown  to  have  no  existence  ;  the  sufferings  of  God 
on  the  Cross  be  discarded,  and  the  book  in  which  the 
relations  of  God  to  man  are  said  to  be  contained  re- 
ferred to  human  origin — and  when  all  is  done  the  world 
be  the  better. 

The  past  needed  sects  and  the  battle  of  conflicting 
creeds  ;  the  present  has  no  use  for  them.  They  are 
dead  bodies,  once  pregnant  with  vitality,  now  festering 
in  decay.  Something  else  is  required.  It  is  positive 
knowledge,  scientific  accuracy  of  thought  and  demon- 
stration. Blind  belief  finds  its  last  hold  with  the  ig- 
norant. 

There  will  be  conflict  and  change  assuredly.  Eighty 
thousand  ministers  in  the  United  States  will  be  relieved 
of  the  arduous  task  of  "  saving  souls"  never  lost,  and 
allowed  to  follow  more  profitable  pursuits.  The  $200,- 


102  THE    RELIGION    OF   MAX. 

000,000,  the  yearly  cost  of  maintain!  og  the  churches  in 
this  country,  will  be  turned  to  better  use.  The  hosts 
who  go  through  a  vale  of  tears  in  search  of  a  "  fountain 
filled  with  blood"  will  be  emancipated,  and  dare  to 
think  and  even  seek  rational  enjoyment  in  this  life. 

The  conflict  of  the  ages  has  been  the  conflict  between 
the  received  religion  and  the  tendency  of  civilization. 
The  saviours  of  the  world,  one  and  all,  have  suffered  mar- 
tyrdom at  the  bloody  hands  of  religion. 

Is  there  any  evidence  that  the  present  received  religion 
of  Christianity  is  absolute  truth,  and  all  the  world  will 
ever  require?  On  the  contrary,  does  it  not  exhibit 
marks  of  decay  ?  Is  it  not,  even  now,  a  sapless  trunk, 
on  whose  leafless,  moss-grown  branches,  theological  owls 
echo  the  mournful  monody  of  salvation  to  man  never 
lost  ?  Is  it  not  even  now  directly  in  the  path  of  advance- 
ment and  intellectual  activity  ?  The  great  lights  of  the 
world  are  aloof  from  the  churches.  Knowledge  has  been 
and  is  the  bane  of  religion.  Religion  has  ostracized 
Galileo,  Bruno,  Darwin,  Huxley,  Tyndall,  Mill,  Paine, 
Jefferson,  Shakespeare,  Dickens,  leaders  of  a  countless 
host  in  the  front  of  mental  and  moral  achievement. 

Is  it  said  that  if  the  religion  of  the  past  has  been 
largely  composed  of  superstition,  that  of  the  present  is 
free  from  this  repulsive  element  ?  What  assurance  have 
we  that  a  century  hence  the  creeds  and  formulas  of  the 
churches  will  not  be  regarded  with  even  more  pity  than 
we  regard  the  childish  superstition  of  the  Puritans,  or 
the  corruption  of  Romanism  ?  Are  we  certain  that  be- 
liefs now  cherished  as  cardinal  will  not  then  be  consid- 
ered of  little  worth,  or  intrinsically  harmful  ? 

We  have  not  arrived  at  infallibility  in  the  realm  of  the 
intellect  or  of  morals. 

If  it  be  known  that  mankind  move  onward  with  the 


MAN'S   MORAL   PROGRESS.  103 

absolute  certainty  of  planetary  bodies  around  their  cen- 
tral orbs  ;  that  there  is  no  retrogression,  and  as  yester- 
day's thoughts  are  replaced  by  to-day's,  so  to-day's  will 
yield  to  to-morrow's,  it  is  our  duty  not  to  stand  in  the 
way  of  this  tidal  flow  in  the  sea  of  humanity. 


V. 

MAN'S   MORAL    PROGRESS     DEPENDENT     ON     HIS    INTEL- 
LECTUAL  GROWTH. 

If  the  Jews  had  not  made  a  beginning,  some  other  nation  would 
have  offered  the  requisite  organs,  and  those  organs  would  have 
guided  the  advance  in  precisely  the  same  manner,  only  transfer- 
ring to  some  books,  now  probably  lost,  the  sacred  character  which 
is  still  attributed  to  others. — COMTE. 

ALL  civilized  races  of  men  have  books  which  they  re- 
gard as  sacred,  and  to  which  they  refer  their  knowledge 
of  moral  law  and  the  foundation  of  religion.  Such 
books  are  accepted  as  direct  revelations  from  their  God. 
They  all — Vedas,  Shaster,  Koran,  Testament  (Old  and 
New) — make  one  claim  of  divine  origin,  its  consequent 
infallibility,  and  that  they  are  absolutely  essential  for 
man's  understanding  of  the  will  of  his  Maker. 

As  the  Bible  is  more  intimately  related  to  us,  and  as 
we  accept  no  other  volume  as  sacred,  it  may  be  regarded 
as  a  type  of  all  others.  We  shall  reach  the  conclusion, 
if  we  investigate  this  realm  over  which  superstition  has 
spread  for  immemorial  time  her  forbidding  pinions, 
that  mankind  have  derived  little  benefit  from  their  moral 


104  THE    RELIGION    OF   MAX. 

codes  except  as  they  have  comprehended  them  by  their 
intellect.  Man's  moral  progress  has  been  and  is  equiv- 
alent to  intellectual  growth.  Until  moral  truths  become 
the  property  of  the  intellect  they  remain  barren  beliefs, 
or  united  with  superstition  are  productive  of  great  evil. 

In  the  vast  volume  of  universal  history  not  one  page 
can  be  pointed  out  wherein  Christianity  has  contributed 
to  social  or  intellectual  advancement.  On  the  contrary, 
it  has  invariably  arrayed  itself  with  the  Old,  and  by 
every  possible  means  sought  to  retard  humanity's  growth. 
This  is  its  necessary  position  ;  it  is  a  part  of  the  Old, 
and  must  battle  for  it.  Claiming  the  infallibility  con- 
ferred by  direct  inspiration,  it  cannot  retract.  Its  creed 
renders  growth  impossible.  A  perfect  God  writes  word 
by  word  a  perfect,  infallible  revelation  for  infinite  time 
and  generations.  Such  a  revelation  cannot  expand — it 
is  complete  and  finished.  To  add  thereto  is  to  blemish. 

Thus  presented,  the  Church  divides  on  the  method  of 
its  interpretation.  The  Protestant  gives  to  each  man 
the  right  to  interpret  for  himself.  In  this  he  is  most  il- 
logical ;  for  how  is  a  finite,  imperfect,  fallible  being  to 
interpret  and  comprehend  an  infinite,  infallible  revela- 
tion ?  When  the  right  of  reason  is  granted,  the  finite 
and  fallible  status  of  the  Bible  is  acknowledged.  The 
right  to  reason  presupposes  the  right  to  receive  or  re- 
ject ;  for  of  what  use  is  reason  unless  this  right  is  be- 
stowed ?  Protestantism  struggles  in  this  absurdity,  really 
occupying  the  identical  grounds  of  Catholicism,  which 
grants  the  right  to  reason,  but  refuses  the  right  of  re- 
jection, saying,  "  Believe,  or  be  damned.  Reason  on 
the  Bible,  but  receive  it."  If  infallible,  reason  is  need- 
less ;  if  infinite,  it  is  impossible.  Protestantism  denies 
this  when  it  assumes  the  right  of  private  judgment,  and 
thereby  breaks  the  path  for  radical  infidelity.  If 


MORAL   PROGEESS.  105 

Luther,  Calvin,  or  Melanchthon  have  the  right  to  protest 
against  Rome,  Beecher,  Murray,  or  Parker  may  protest 
against  them,  and  the  end  is  a  universal  individual  pro- 
test, there  being  as  many  sects  as  persons,  and  thorough 
and  complete  individualization. 

Catholicism  is  severely  logical.  It  stifles  reason  at  the 
beginning.  It  truly  says  finite  man  cannot  comprehend 
an  infinite  revelation  ;  hence  God  has  chosen  teachers 
to  interpret  his  revelation  ;  the  priesthood  is  as  neces- 
sary as  the  Bible  itself  ;  to  ordinary  men  it  is  a  book 
written  in  a  foreign  tongue,  and  inspired  priests  only 
can  translate  and  apply  it  to  mortal  wants. 

How  far  has  the  intellectual  life  of  the  race  been 
benefited  by  the  Bible?  It  cannot  claim  scientific  ac- 
curacy or  knowledge,  for  it  accepts  the  views  of  Nature 
received  by  the  rude  and  savage  Semitic  people.  They 
believed  the  world  to  be  a  perfectly  square  and  flat  island 
floating  on  the  water  beneath  the  firmament.  It  was 
stationary,  and  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars  revolved  around 
it.  This  is  the  accepted  theory  of  the  Bible,  and  scarcely 
three  centuries  have  passed  since  the  man  who  dared  to 
dispute  it  would  have  been  burned.  Its  cosmogony  is 
that  of  conjecturing  ignorance.  Did  not  God  know 
that  his  world  was  a  ball,  and  the  sun — not  the  earth- 
was  the  central  body  ?  Knowing  these  facts,  he  writes 
the  very  reverse  in  his  revelation,  leaving  those  whom 
he  seeks  to  enlighten  to  discover  the  truth  by  painful 
research,  after  thousands  of  years. 

The  civilizations  for  whom  no  divine  revelation  is 
claimed,  had  arrived  at  a  moral  code  quite  as  elevated  as 
that  of  the  inspired  law  of  the  Hebrews.  When  that 
people  received  their  revelation,  they  were  rude  and  al- 
most barbarous.  In  later  times  their  manners  softened 
and  became  more  refined  by  contact  with  other  nations 


106  THE    KELIGIOX    OF    MAN. 

and  the  processes  of  growth,  when  an  urban  and  agri- 
cultural life  had  taken  the  place  of  the  nomadic.  The 
anomalous  fact  is  thus  presented  for  the  advocate  of  a 
divine  revelation  made  to  the  Jews  alone,  that  the 
nearer  the  period  of  its  reception  is  approached,  the 
ruder  the  people  become,  while  the  farther  away,  the 
more  refined.  It  would  have  been  inferred  that  a  people 
so  far  removed  above  all  others  as  to  be  the  especial  fa- 
vorites of  God  would  have  given  some  indication  of  the 
infinite  difference  which  must  have  existed  between  them 
and  all  others. 

It  is  urged  that  this  is  a  wrong  view  of  the  intentions 
of  the  Deity.  He  adapted  his  words  to  the  comprehen- 
sion of  the  savage  Hebrew.  He  would  not  have  been 
understood  had  he  spoken  in  the  phrase  of  modern 
science.  This  revelation,  then,  becomes  a  special  affair 
for  the  exclusive  benefit  of  a  small  tribe,  and  cannot  be 
urged  on  the  present  ;  for  if  intended  for  infinite  gen- 
erations it  must  have  infinite  extension  and  application. 

It  is  interesting  to  trace  the  progress  of  ideas  and  the 
slow  yielding  of  the  interpretation  of  the  Bible.  From 
the  dawn  of  science  to  the  present  a  constant  battle  has 
been  waged.  Every  new  truth  has  been  fought  to  the 
death,  and  after  the  Church  found  it  could  not  withstand 
it,  it  turned  and  claimed  it  for  its  own.  Geology  dealt 
the  death-blow  to  the  Mosaic  cosmogony.  The  earth 
created  in  six  days  ?  Turn  over  the  leaves  of  the  great 
rock-volume,  stratum  reposing  upon  stratum  for  fifteen 
miles  of  crust,  replete  with  vestiges  of  organic  beings, 
once  swimming,  flying,  creeping,  or  walking,  succes- 
sively evolved  while  millions  of  ages  rolled  away,  each 
but  a  single  swing  of  the  pendulum  which  marked 
the  progressive  evolution  of  worlds.  Geology  and  Gen- 
esis can  never  be  reconciled.  The  story  of  the  Creation 


MORAL   PROGRESS.  107 

is  not  an  allegory,  but  an  attempt  of  the  ignorant  savage 
to  account  for  phenomena  he  did  not  comprehend.  It 
is  the  same  with  all  its  pretended  explanations,  as  wit- 
ness that  of  the  rainbow.  It  is  not  the  sunbeam  paint- 
ing itself  on  the  descending  drops  of  the  shower,  but  a 
sign  set  by  God  after  the  flood  for  the  comfort  and  as- 
surance of  Noah,  and  even  to  the  present  this  interpre- 
tation prevails.  A  thousand  ages  before  Noah's  time, 
on  the  wild  and  desolate  shores  of  the  new  red  sandstone, 
the  winds  dashed  the  raindrops,  and  can  we  suppose 
that  when  those  dark  showers  rolled  away  no  rainbow 
gorgeously  decorated  their  misty  garments  ? 

After  the,  great  battle  waged  on  the  intellectual  field, 
it  is  again  urged  that  it  is  not  to  teach  science,  not  for 
intellectual  progress,  but  as  a  revelation  of  morals,  the 
Bible  was  given  to  man.  It  was  taken  as  a  standard  for 
the  intellect  as  long  as  the  claim  could  be  maintained, 
and  only  by  compulsion  did  it  relinquish  its  blighting 
grasp.  Is  there  better  foundation  for  its  claims  as  the 
sole  teacher  of  moral  truth  ?  Does  it  teach  any  truths 
man  would  not  have  gained  without  its  aid?  It  is 
claimed  that  it  does,  and  the  same  claims  are  made  for 
all  sacred  books.  Against  this  assertion,  so  arrogantly 
maintained,  a  volume  of  extracts,  wise  sayings,  and 
proverbs  might  easily  be  compiled  from  classic  writers 
and  the  records  of  remote  and  even  barbarous  peoples, 
which  would  be  in  every  respect  equal  to  the  Bible. 
What  is  there  in  the  famous  Sermon  on  the  Mount  not 
well  known  before  the  first  century  ?  Confucius,  more 
than  five  hundred  years  previously,  taught  a  code  equal- 
ly pure.  The  vaunted  Golden  Rule  was  expressed  by  the 
Chinese  sage,  and  about  the  same  time  by  Pythagoras  in 
Greece.  Were  not  the  ancients  moral  ?  Witness  their 
laws  and  customs.  Do  they  not  present  lives  favorably 


108  THE   KELIGION    OF    MAN. 

comparing  with  the  most  shining  examples  of  Christian 
virtue  ?  Plato  and  Socrates  were  equal  in  forgiveness 
of  enemies,  in  patient  endurance  of  suffering,  in  all  the 
virtues  bestowed  by  religion  to  any  Christian  saint. 

But  it  is  said,  although  the  ancient  sages  wrote  wisely 
and  spoke  truthfully,  though  their  lives  put  to  blush 
those  of  a  vast  majority  of  Christians,  they  could  not 
agree  respecting  the  foundation  of  virtue,  the  ultimate 
object  toward  which  it  should  be  directed,  or  in  what 
man's  happiness  consisted.  This  is  a  singular  objection 
from  the  Christian  world,  who  never  could  agree,  with 
all  the  light  of  their  revelation,  on  these  same  questions, 
who  from  the  Apostles'  time  have  disputed  with  word 
and  sword,  and  are  now  divided  into  more  than  a  thou- 
sand contending  sects. 

Nothing  is  more  obvious  than  the  independence  of 
ethics  of  revelation.  Kevelation  is  only  its  accidental 
expression.  This  is  proven  by  the  fact  that  all  moral 
truths  expressed  in  the  Bible  were  clearly  recognized  for 
indefinite  time  before  its  compilation.  It  abounds  in 
precepts  good  of  themselves,  though  not  original  with 
it ;  but  as  a  moral  code  it  is  exceedingly  imperfect.  So 
far  from  pointing  man  to  the  eternally  true  and  right, 
in  the  hands  of  its  interpreters  it  has  taught  the  oppo- 
site of  truth,  and  blinded  those  who  would  see.  It  ad- 
vocates slavery.  The  chosen  men  of  God  are  slavehold- 
ers. He  urged  them  to  battle,  assisted  them  to  gain  the 
day,  and  directed  them  how  to  divide  the  spoil  of  cap- 
tive wives,  mothers,  and  maidens.  If,  in  the  terrible 
ordeal  of  slavery  through  which  we  have  passed,  the 
slaveholder  found  consolation  anywhere,  it  was  in  the 
Bible.  He  fought  under  the  direct  command  of  God, 
who  cursed  Ham  and  his  posterity,  and  declared  it  just 
that  they  should  be  bondsmen  and  bondswomen  for  all 


MAN'S  MORAL  PROGRESS.  109 

time.  So  directly  did  the  Bible  oppose  anti-slavery  that 
the  agitators  threw  it  down  and  trampled  it  in  the  dust. 

It  upholds  capital  punishment.  Its  code  is  a  code  of 
vengeance,  and  although  the  great  thinkers  of  the  day 
one  and  all  oppose  the  death  penalty,  and  the  refined 
sense  of  the  age  revolts  at  it  as  a  relic  of  barbarism,  the 
prejudice  created  and  sustained  by  religious  education 
founded  on  the  Bible  preserves  it  as  a  black  and  dismal 
blot  on  our  civilization.  It  holds  woman  in  her  present 
unequal  position  with  man,  and  sets  itself  directly  in 
the  way  of  her  advancement.  One  of  the  most  startling 
miracles  recorded  in  the  Old  Testament  is  the  standing 
still  of  the  sun  and  moon  to  enable  the  Israelites,  push- 
ed on  by  God,  to  slaughter  their  enemies.  A  religion, 
of  peace  ?  The  millions  that  have  perished  in  its  wars 
are  a  minority  of  those  who  have  fallen  victims  to  the 
rack,  the  stake,  the  gibbet,  and  nameless  instruments 
of  torture,  or  suffered  a  thousand  deaths  in  reeking 
dungeons,  with  iron  links  festering  their  flesh,  without 
appeal  and  without  hope.  The  Church  has  arrogated 
to  itself  the  authority  to  do  for  the  living  as  it  believes 
its  God  does  for  nine  tenths  of  the  dead — created  a  hell ; 
and  carried  out  his  commands  by  commencing  those  tor- 
tures which  he  will  intensify  and  continue  forever. 

For  the  Bible,  it  is  claimed  that  the  human  mind 
could  not  unaided  have  arrived  at  a  moral  code. 
Surely  the  mind  of  man  could  not  have  obtained  the 
conception  of  the  angry,  jealous  Jehovah,  whose  gar- 
ments were  dyed  red  with  the  blood  of  the  slain  ;  his 
creation  of  the  world  in  six  days  and  then  resting  ;  his 
creation  of  life  and  light  before  he  created  the  sun  ;  his 
creating  man  perfect,  and  man's  becoming  a  most  piti- 
ably imperfect  work  ;  his  drowning  all  the  world  except 
eight  souls,  who  became  worse  than  those  destroyed  ; 


110  THE    KELIGIOX    OF    MAN. 

his  self-sacrifice  on  the  cross  as  the  only  means  of  re- 
claiming a  moiety  of  mankind  from  the  innate  and  all- 
powerful  principle  of  evil — this  only  can  be  learned  hy 
such  a  revelation.  After  its  acquisition,  it  requires 
thousands  of  years  to  free  mankind  from  its  incubus. 

At  this  stage  of  the  discussion  we  ask,  Can  a  book 
bring  new  moral  truths  to  man  ?  Can  he  be  taught  that 
which  is  not  inherent  in  his  constitution  ?  The  horse 
cannot  comprehend  mathematics  because  the  mental 
qualities  necessary  are  dormant  or  absent,  nor  can  it 
understand  moral  relations  for  the  same  reason.  The 
same  is  true  of  man.  Unless  he  has  the  moral  qualities, 
moral  truths  would  fall  as  unappreciated  before  him  as 
the  animal.  He  must  first  possess  these  moral  qualities 
in  order  to  receive  a  revelation,  and,  possessing  them, 
they  evolve  moral  truths,  and  a  revelation  is  not  re- 
quired. 

Do  not  understand  that  reproach  is  cast  on  the  Bible. 
It  should  be  placed  with  the  sacred  books  of  other  races 
— the  A  vesta,  the  Shaster,  the  Vedas,  the  Koran — and 
consider  them  all  as  equally  creditable  records  of  the 
strivings  and  spiritual  experiences  of  childish  and  savage 
men  to  fathom  the  mysteries  of  the  spiritual  universe 
within  and  the  illimitable  universe  without.  One  has 
no  more  right  to  command  belief  than  another.  Truths 
are  beautifully  expressed  by  all.  They  repeat  what  is 
inherent  in  the  constitution  of  man.  If  all  sacred  books 
were  blotted  from  the  world  this  day,  not  a  single  truth 
would  be  lost.  The  reception  of  or  acquiescence  in  an 
ethical  system,  in  order  to  work  a  lasting  benefit,  must 
not  be  by  belief,  but  by  knowledge.  The  system  must 
meet  an  intellectual  development  competent  to  under- 
stand and  make  it  its  own.  It  is  asserted  that  the  sim- 
ple belief  has  power  to  elevate.  Most  mischievously 


MAN'S    MORAL    PROGRESS.  Ill 

false  is  the  assertion.  If  the  believer  advances,  it  is  not 
from  the  power  of  his  belief,  but  by  intellectual  culture. 
This  is  demonstrated  by  the  results  of  missionary  labors. 
Glowing  narrations  are  published  of  conversions  of  the 
natives  of  the  farthest  islands  of  the  sea,  and  the  glori- 
ous results  wrought  by  the  Bible  among  the  savages  of 
the  frozen  north  or  burning  equator.  The  zealous  mis- 
sionaries appear  to  think  baptism  of  the  natives  indica- 
tive of  their  reception  of  Christianity.  ' '  Blessed  book  !" 
say  they,  "  wherever  thou  goest,  civilization  and  innu- 
merable blessings  follow."  Oh,  missionary  !  it  is  not  with 
the  Bible  that  civilization  goeth  forth,  but  with  the 
self-reliant  Anglo-Saxon.  Are  savage  men  changed  to 
Christians  ?  Nay  ;  they  vanish  like  frost.  It  is  not 
conversion,  but  terrible,  inevitable  extinction.  The 
red  Indian,  from  a  race  holding  a  vast  continent,  has 
become  a  remnant  fast  expiring — not  driven  westward, 
as  is  poetically  said,  but  dying  out,  as  the  wolf  and  deer, 
in  the  place  of  their  birth. 

The  Spaniards  converted  the  swarming  population  of 
Mexico  and  Peru  ;  where  now  are  their  converts  ?  A 
charming  story,  highly  suggestive,  is  related  of  an  Aztec 
tribe.  They  were  readily  persuaded  to  demolish  their 
idols  and  set  up  the  cross  in  their  places,  and  Cortez 
left  them,  fully  persuaded  that  they  were  true  believers. 
It  so  happened  that  one  of  his  horses  was  disabled  and 
left  with  them.  Alas  !  for  the  worship  of  the  true  God. 
The  superstitious  natives,  connecting  the  unknown  ani- 
mal with  the  power  of  the  white  man,  worshipped  it  as 
a  deity,  gave  it  flowers  and  savory  viands  ;  and  when  it 
pined  and  died  on  such  inappropriate  diet,  its  afflicted 
worshippers  reared  its  effigy  in  stone,  and  a  century  later, 
when  the  Franciscans  came  to  preach  the  Gospel,  they 
were  astonished  to  find  this  image  of  a  horse  occupying 


112  THE    RELIGION    OF    MAN". 

the  highest  place  in  the  temple,  and  devoutly  adored  as 
the  god  of  thunder  and  lightning.  The  native  mind 
found  its  level  in  worship,  despite  the  efforts  of  the  con- 
queror to  force  the  mystification  of  the  Trinity  on  its  un- 
tutored intellect.  Were  the  Aztecs  converted  ?  They  are 
gone,  and  not  one  remains  to  read  the  hieroglyphic  tablets 
of  their  ancestors.  Is  the  Bible  more  deadly  than  the  rifle? 

One  of  the  most  active  and  zealous  missionaries  on 
the  African  coast  confessed  that  he  never  converted  a 
single  African.  Once  he  thought  he  had  succeeded,  but 
his  new  convert,  on  being  informed  that  he  must  deny 
himself  a  plurality  of  wives,  at  once  denied  his  religion. 
After  the  vast  outlay  of  missionary  labor,  there  is  not 
an  important  Christian  community  of  their  founding 
constructed  of  heathen  elements.  The  battle  between 
Christianity  and  the  great  Asiatic  religions — Buddhism, 
Brahminism,  and  Islamism — has  not  been  more  fortu- 
nate. 

Mr.  Hutchins  gives  the  results  of  ten  years'  attendance 
at  a  mission  school  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa  in  the 
answer  of  his  servant  when  asked  what  he  knew  of  God, 
"  God  be  very  good  :  he  made  two  things — one,  sleep  ; 
and  the  other,  Sunday,  when  no  one  has  to  work."  He 
says  that  after  scores  of  years  of  intercourse  with  Euro- 

•/  •/ 

pean  traders  and  missionaries,  the  Africans  still  cling 
"  to  their  gis-gis,  jujus,  and  Fetishism  with  as  much  per- 
tinacity as  they  did  many  hundred  years  ago.  .  .  .  Here 
we  have  all  the  appliances  of  our  arts,  our  sciences,  and 
our  Christianity,  doing  no  more  good  than  did  the  wheat 
in  the  parable  that  was  sown  among  briers  and  thorns. 
To  attempt  civilizing  such  a  race  before  they  are  human- 
ized appears  to  me  beginning  at  the  wrong  end. "  Ham- 
ilton Smith  remarks  :  "  Even  Christianity  of  more  than 
three  centuries'  duration  in  Congo  has  scarcely  excited 


MOEAL    PROGRESS.  113 

a  progressive  civilization."  No  people  have  had  more 
direct  communication  with  Europe  than  the  Africans, 
among  whom  Christian  bishops  achieved  renown  in  the 
times  of  the  primitive  fathers,  and  in  modern  times  nu- 
merous missionary  stations  have  been  maintained  at  great 
sacrifice  of  money  and  of  life,  yet  no  visible  effect  has  been 
produced  toward  civilizing  the  black  race.  The  people 
of  the  torrid  zone  find  in  the  picturesque  and  passional 
teachings  of  Moslemism  greater  satisfaction  than  in  the 
colder  and  more  intellectual  forms  of  Christianity. 
Where  Christianity  is  apparently  received,  it  proves  in 
the  end  only  a  form,  and  its  transcendent  doctrines  are 
changed  into  crudest  Paganism.  The  negroes  of  the 
South,  despite  centuries  of  contact  with  Christian  mas- 
ters, retain  their  belief  in  Voudooism.  Humboldt  saw  in 
the  Cordilleras  a  savage  crowd  dancing  and  brandishing 
their  war-hatchets  around  an  altar  where  a  monk  was 
elevating  the  Host.  They  simply  transferred  their  war- 
dance  around  a  fire  to  an  altar.  Savary  states  that  no 
Indian  has  ever  become  a  true  Christian.  Mr.  Kennon, 
in  one  of  his  popular  lectures  on  Northeastern  Asia,  said 
the  missionaries  found  it  impossible  to  convey  any  idea 
of  God  or  of  the  atonement  to  the  Yakuts,  because  their 
language  had  no  words  for  any  of  the  high  moral  con- 
ceptions of  Europeans.  The  want  of  such  words  indi- 
cates the  want  of  the  ideas  they  express — a  deficiency 
supplied  only  by  ages  of  growth.  The  Greek  priest 
hangs  a  cross  on  the  neck  of  the  low-browed,  skin-clad 
Yakut,  and  reports  to  St.  Petersburg  another  remark- 
able conversion  to  Christianity. 

The  Christianization  of  the  Dark  Continent  is  being 
pushed  with  great  zeal  at  present,  for  greed  joins  hands 
with  godliness  in  rescuing  the  black  heathen  from  sin 
and  its  consequences. 


114  THE    RELIGION    OF   MAK. 

It  is  a  laudable  effort,  and  better  results  may  flow  from 
it  than  the  earlier  attempt,  whereby  Christian  slave- 
traders  brought  the  poor  creatures  to  Christian  lands, 
to  be  converted  into  Christians  and  slaves  at  the  same 
time.  Now  the  vast  Congo  country  is  opened,  and  there 
are  a  multitude  of  preachers  streaming  in  to  extend  the 
gospel  to  every  creature.  Civilization  and  Christianity 
are  forced  on  these  poor  people.  The  nude  native  will 
be  induced,  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  to  wear  panta- 
loons and  a  stovepipe  hat,  and  the  belle  of  the  tropic 
jungle,  who  has  found  most  comfort  in  being  adorned 
the  least,  will  no  longer  clothe  herself  with  a  copper 
bracelet,  but  wear  crinoline,  pin-back  dresses,  and  high- 
heeled  shoes.  With  the  traders  thirsting  for  ivory,  gold, 
and  the  palm  products,  go  the  missionaries  to  teach  end- 
less punishment  in  a  climate  that  will  discount  Hades  ! 

One  of  the  steamships  engaged  in  the  trade  recently 
left  her  civilized  European  port  for  the  Congo  country 
with  an  assorted  cargo  of  rum,  gunpowder,  and  mis- 
sionaries. There  were  60,000  gallons  of  ruin,  700  gallons 
of  gin,  and  twelve  missionaries.  The  number  of  Bibles 
and  tracts  that  went  with  the  missionaries  is  not 
stated.  If  a  Congo  negro  should  attempt  to  understand 
an  orthodox  tract  on  "  Predestination  and  Original 
Sin,"  it  would  not  require  the  rum  to  make  him  crazy  ! 

The  missionaries  are  a  necessity  of  the  trader.  The 
Congo  dude  is  satisfied  with  palm  oil  and  elephant  fat 
for  a  dressing,  and  so  is  the  fair  beauty  of  the  jungle, 
until  taught  by  the  men  of  God  the  first  idea  of  original 
sin,  whereby  calico  and  a  silk  hat  are  atonement. 

Herbert  Ward  gives  some  interesting  pen-pictures  of 
how  the  civilizing  invasion  is  going  on.  The  European 
traders  want  ivory,  and  the  Arabs  set  to  work  to  pro- 
cure it.  A  band  of  three  or  four  hundred  organize,  and 


MORAL   PROGRESS.  115 

armed  with  Christian  Enfield  rifles,  inarch  into  the  in- 
terior. They  enter  a  country  which  is  a  paradise  of 
fruits,  orchards  of  plantains,  palm  fruits  and  nuts,  and 
all  the  luxurious  growths  nature  in  that  wantonly 
bounteous  country  provides.  There  are  villages  with 
teeming  populations,  and  a  happy  people  with  all  their 
wants  supplied.  These  emissaries  of  Christian  civiliza- 
tion at  once  and  without  warning  open  fire,  shooting 
down  every  one  they  meet.  Wild  consternation  seizes 
the  people,  their  village  is  surrounded,  and  the  flames 
swiftly  spread  over  its  thatched  dwellings.  They  at- 
tempt to  escape.  The  women  are  captured,  the  men 
shot  down  unless  they  make  good  their  flight  to  the 
jungle.  Having  thus  wrought  desolation,  the  victors 
settle  down  with  their  spoils,  and  send  word  to  the  fugi- 
tive fathers  and  husbands  that  they  can  have  their  wom- 
en back  for  an  elephant's  tusk  each.  Then  the  poor 
savage  goes  out  hunting  the  mighty  beast  armed  with 
his  arrow,  for  all  that  is  dear  in  the  world  to  him 
can  be  regained  only  by  his  success  in  this  unequal  chase. 
When  the  tusks  are  secured,  the  exchange  made,  the  ad- 
vance guard  of  European  civilization  returns  loaded  with 
booty,  leaving  a  desert  waste  in  place  of  the  peaceful 
village  reposing  in  its  fruitful  garden  ! 

How  thankful  these  benighted  savages  ought  to  be  for 
the  enterprise  of  Stanley  in  opening  their  country  to 
Christian  civilization  !  When  the  sleek  missionary 
comes  among  them,  after  the  raid  which  has  brought 
death  to  every  thatched  dwelling,  how  thankful  they 
ought  to  be  when  that  missionary  explains  that  every  one 
of  those  murdered  relatives  has  gone  to  perdition,  and 
the  only  escape  of  the  living  is  to  believe  in  the  religion 
which  has  brought  rum,  rifles,  gunpowder,  and  the 
blessed  Bible  to  the  Dark  Continent ! 


116  THE    RELIGION   OF   MAN. 

When  civilization  reaches  its  ultimate,  the  Ethiopian 
will  not  be  a  civilized  race,  but  shall  have  passed  away,  as 
the  Indian  has  done  in  America.  The  New  World  is 
civilized,  but  the  Indian  has  perished.  As  long  as  he 
remains  his  old  beliefs  and  customs  are  retained. 

The  Pagan  rites  and  frantic  ceremonies  of  the  Egyp- 
tians are  now  enacted  before  the  churches  of  the  Copts, 
as  described  by  Herodotus,  earliest  of  historians  ;  the 
Greeks  still  preserve  the  Pyrrhic  dance  ;  the  celebrated 
Chorographic  dance  of  the  ancient  Romans  is  still  pur- 
sued by  the  Wallach  peasantry,  showing  how  much 
stronger  are  customs  wrought  in  indigenous  faiths  than 
foreign  systems,  even  when  these  are  apparently  suc- 
cessful. 

William  H.  Seward,  in  his  "  Travels  Around  the 
World,"  p.  456,  agrees  with  the  universal  testimony  of 
unprejudiced  observers.  His  opinion  has  vastly  more 
value  than  that  of  ordinary  travellers,  for  he  possessed 
superior  advantages,  and  he  certainly  will  not  be  ac- 
cused of  saying  a  word  against  the  benefits  of  mission- 
ary labor  he  could  possibly  avoid  :  "  It  was  not  for  St. 
Xavier  or  the  Catholic  Church  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury to  bring  India  and  the  East  into  Christian  civili- 
zation. It  must  be  sadly  admitted  that  this  yet  remains 
to  be  done.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  great  work  has 
been  begun  in  the  humble  schools  for  native  men  and 
women  which  have  been  opened  under  missionary  aus- 
pices in  various  parts  of  the  country." 

This  is  virtually  yielding  the  whole  question.  It  is  not 
the  religion  taught  by  the  missionaries,  but  the  knowl- 
edge taught  in  the  schools  which  is  to  elevate  Hindu 
civilization.  The  report  of  Lieutenant  Wood,  of  the 
United  States  Navy,  who  made  a  trip  on  the  Trenton 
to  China  and  Corea  in  1884,  is  not  more  cheering. 


MAN'S   MORAL   PROGRESS.  117 

Their  attack  on  the  religion  of  the  three  or  four  hundred 
millions  of  the  Celestial  Empire,  he  states,  is  absolutely 
without  results.  He  unreservedly  says  that  he  does  not 
believe  there  is  a  single  Chinese  convert  to  Christianity 
of  sound  mind  in  the  entire  extent  of  China  to-day.  The 
converts  about  whom  so  much  talk  is  made  are  menials 
employed  by  the  missionaries,  and  are  converted  for  the 
sake  of  the  higher  wages  given  them.  As  soon  as  they 
are  discharged  they  leave  their  professions.  The  mis- 
sionaries have  little  or  nothing  to  do  with  the  high-cluss 
natives.  Many  meetings  are  in  English,  the  missiona- 
ries themselves  being  the  only  attendants.  A  nobleman 
or  mandarin  has  never  acknowledged  the  Christian  faith. 

The  missionaries  have  translated  the  Bible  into  a 
lingo  which  has  the  same  relation  to  the  classical  lan- 
guage that  an  obscure  negro  dialect  of  Louisiana  has  io 
pure  English.  When  located  at  Foo  Chow,  they  learned 
the  dialect  of  that  locality,  and  of  course  could  use  no 
other  in  making  their  translation.  The  classical  tongue 
is  that  which  is  alone  employed  by  the  educated,  and 
in  which  the  sacred  precepts  of  Confucius  are  given. 
Hence  the  Bible  and  the  preaching  of  the  missionaries 
excite  the  ridicule  of  the  educated,  and  the  latter  oc- 
cupy nearly  the  same  position  that  the  uncouth  and  igno- 
rant followers  of  the  Salvation  Army  do  in  this  country. 

Who  can  dissent  from  Kenan  when  he  says,  "As  to 
the  savage  races,  those  sad  survivors  of  an  ancient  world, 
for  whom  nothing  better  can  be  wished  than  quiet 
death,  it  is  almost  derision  to  apply  our  dogmatic  for- 
mulas to  them.  Before  making  Christians  of  them,  we 
should  first  have  to  make  them  men,  and  it  is  doubtless 
if  we  should  succeed  in  doing  that.  The  poor  Otaheitan 
is  trained  to  attend  mass  or  a  sermon,  but  the  incurable 
softness  of  his  brain  is  not  remedied  ;  he  is  made  to  die 


118  THE    KELIGIOJST   OF   MAJT. 

of  melancholy  or  ennui.  Oh,  leave  these  children  of 
nature  to  fade  away  on  their  mother's  bosom  !  Let  us 
not  with  our  stern  dogmas,  the  fruit  of  twenty  centuries 
of  reflection,  disturb  their  childish  play,  their  dances  by 
moonlight,  their  hours  of  sweet  intoxication."  The 
mistake  of  devotees  is  the  belief  that  morality  and  re- 
ligion can  be  manufactured  and  forced  on  the  mind. 
They  create  their  formulas,  which  they  call  religion, 
and  regard  the  acceptance  of  these  as  conversion. 

This  process  may  be  very  well  where  educational  train- 
ing and  prejudice  are  in  their  favor  ;  when  they  do  not 
depart  far  from  the  generally  received  ideas  ;  but  when 
they  attempt  by  this  means  to  storm  the  religions  of 
other  races,  they,  without  exception,  utterly  fail.  The 
true  conversion  of  the  savage  to  our  transcendental 
morality  is  as  possible  as  the  domestication  of  the  lion 
and  tiger.  A  thousand  ages  of  growth  lie  between  the 
two.  This  is  a  question  of  anatomy  and  physiology.  Its 
solution  depends  on  the  structure  and  resulting  functions 
of  the  brain.  When  the  savage  is  able  to  grasp  knowl- 
edge with  the  acumen  of  the  civilized  man,  then,  and 
not  till  then,  can  he  be  converted  to  the  morality  of 
civilization.  Christianity,  born  from  the  debris  of  im- 
memorial ages,  has  grown  with  the  growth  of  the  people 
who  accepted  it,  and  is  the  representation  of  their  theo- 
logical ideas.  Now  go  to  the  wilds,  and  meeting  a  sav- 
age with  mind  untrained  except  to  the  exigencies  of  his 
precarious  life,  thrust  this  system  upon  him.  He  is 
utterly  incapable  of  its  comprehension.  The  wide  in- 
terval between  the  savage  and  philosopher  has  been 
passed  over  by  slow  and  painful  progress  through  mil- 
lions of  ages.  The  savage  may  receive  aid  from  our  ac- 
quirements, but  we  cannot  bridge  the  interval  nor 
furnish  him  a  shorter  road. 


MAST'S   MOEAL   PROGRESS.  119 

Religion  concreted  in  formulated  systems  is  organi- 
cally opposed  to  progress.  The  formulas  of  religion  nrnst 
of  necessity  be  sacred  and  inviolable  ;  they  cannot  yield, 
and  soon  are  left  behind.  Then  commences  the  des- 
perate struggle  not  to  cease  until  the  reign  of  perfect 
knowledge.  On  one  side  there  is  a  constant  effort 
to  extend  the  domain  of  the  known  ;  on  the  other,  perse- 
cution ;  for  with  the  belief  in  infallibility  comes  the 
right  of  enforcing  that  belief,  and  faith  and  bigotry  al- 
ways are  in  exact  ratio  to  ignorance.  There  are  no 
limits  to  the  illustrations  history  furnishes  of  this  sub- 
ject. Faith  in  a  religion  not  understood  always  resuHs 
in  superstition,  intolerance,  and  persecution.  It  might 
as  well  be  said  that  a  man's  coat  influences  his  mind,  as 
that  he  is  organically  changed  by  an  exotic  system  of 
religion.  A  church-member,  a  bigot,  a  fanatic  are 
easily  made,  but  an  organically  good  and  upright  man 
is  good  and  upright  from  development,  and  cannot  be 
made  to  order. 

It  is  claimed  by  the  leaders  of  Christianity  that  to  it 
we  entirely  owe  our  civilization.  Without  it  we  should 
still  roam  the  forests  of  Europe,  skin-clad  savages,  with- 
out the  least  conception  of  right  or  wrong.  To  the  gen- 
eral views  expressed  in  the  preceding  pages  we  specialize 
to  show  the  real  influence  Christianity  exercised  on  the 
progress  of  European  civilization. 

Although  it  may  not  be  said  that  Christianity  is  re- 
sponsible for  the  night  of  ignorance  in  which  Europe 
wandered  for  over  a  thousand  years,  yet,  if  not  the  sole 
cause,  it  was  the  chief  and  most  active  agent  in  the  pro- 
duction of  that  awful  catastrophe,  and  the  prejudice 
then  instilled  against  learning  by  ecclesiasticism  has  not 
yet  wholly  disappeared.  Even  in  the  Reformation,  which 
originated  in  the  increase  of  intelligence,  a  fanatical 


120  THE   RELIGION    OF   MAN". 

crusade  against  learning  was  undertaken.  Sage  pro- 
fessors sent  their  pupils  home  with  the  assurance  that 
the  Spirit  of  God  would  inspire  the  true  believer. 

The  first  century  was  the  flood-tide  of  Roman  intellect- 
ual greatness — the  age  of  inimitable  poetry,  perfected 
history,  and  diligent  love  of  philosophy.  Probably  at 
no  period  in  the  history  of  the  ancient  world  did  the 
masses  enjoy  in  a  higher  degree  the  comforts  of  life. 
The  refinement  of  the  few  reached  to  the  many,  and  the 
love  of  knowledge  was  not  a  monopoly  of  a  select  circle. 
The  age  immediately  following  yielded  historians,  law- 
yers, and  philosophers,  who  would  have  been  illustrious 
in  any  period,  and  learning  became  so  generally  diffused 
that  there  were  a  greater  number  of  cultivated  minds 
than  even  in  the  Golden  Era. 

The  third  century  presents  a  different  picture — learn- 
ing everywhere  despised,  history  degraded  to  lying 
chronicles,  poetry  and  philosophy  contemptible,  and  the 
Latin  tongue  corrupted  into  a  barbarous  jargon.  The 
laws  of  Constantine  and  succeeding  emperors  in  the  next 
century  could  not  stay  the  tide  of  ignorance.  Great 
men  are  evolved  by  the  progress  of  events,  not  created 
by  laws. 

Why  this  rapid  decline,  in  two  centuries,  from  the 
pinnacle  of  greatness  to  the  abyss  of  ignorance  ?  Not 
the  inundation  of  Northern  hordes  so  much  as  the  re- 
ligion introduced  into  the  Roman  world  during  those 
centuries.  The  early  Christians  stigmatized  learning 
as  profane,  and  so  identified  was  ancient  literature  with 
the  old  form  of  worship  that  it  was  held  in  abhorrence 
by  the  fanatical  devotees  of  the  Nazarene.  In  398  the 
Council  of  Carthage  forbade  its  being  read  by  bishops, 
and  the  ignorant  masses  were  prevented  from  in  curring 
the  sin  by  inability. 


MORAL   PROGRESS.  121 

As  long  as  the  Christians  were  an  insignificant  sect, 
the  influence  of  their  contempt  for  learning  had  little 
effect ;  but  when  they  gained  power  and  controlled  the 
Government,  their  influence  was  exceedingly  great.  The 
offices  of  instructors  of  the  Imperial  family  and  of  the 
sons  of  distinguished  men,  previously  held  by  noble 
philosophers,  were  assigned  to  ignorant  and  supersti- 
tious priests.  The  knowledge  of  the  Pagan  world  was 
discarded,  and  the  dogmas  of  theology  supplied  their 
place.  The  Church  absorbed  all  the  mental  activity  of 
the  times.  Philosophy,  poetry,  and  profane  history 
were  discarded  as  unworthy  the  attention  of  regenerated 
mortals.  A  new  arena  was  opened  for  intellectual  con- 
test— one  which  engaged  the  thought  of  the  centuries. 
This  was  polemics  :  the  solution  of  incomprehensible 
dogmas  by  never-ending  verbal  warfare. 

As  science  expands  and  ennobles  the  mind,  so  such  dis- 
putations narrow  and  dwarf  its  powers,  and  make  it  im- 
becile. These  studies  of  questions  which  are  merely  arti- 
ficial formulas,  having  no  existence  except  in  imagina- 
tion, corrupt  the  fountains  of  knowledge.  While  the 
supporters  of  conflicting  creeds,  dogmas,  and  vagaries 
disputed,  the  Latin  tongue  became  so  debased  that  the 
record  of  ancient  knowledge  was  sealed  except  to  a  few. 
With  the  temples,  ruthlessly  destroyed  by  those  who 
considered  them  profane,  perished  the  Old  Empire  of 
Thought.  The  heated  disputants  over  vacuities,  fur- 
nished instead  their  interminable  discussions,  which, 
by  preoccupying  the  attention  of  those  who  cared  to 
think,  excluded  the  old  literature  ;  ignorance  became 
canonized.  No  adequate  conception  can  be  formed  of 
the  darkness  of  the  human  intellect  at  this  period.  Su- 
perstition grew  like  a  rank  and  pestilent  weed,  and  as- 
ceticism depressed  the  understanding  to  still  lower 


122  THE    RELIGION   OF   MA2T. 

depths.  The  Old  was  cast  aside,  and  the  literature  given 
instead  was  valueless.  Even  the  minds  of  thinkers  were 
led  astray  along  paths  beginning  in  ignorance  and  end- 
ing nowhere.  Worthless,  except  as  a  curiosity,  is  the 
literature  succeeding  the  age  of  inspiration,  when  bishops 
sat  in  solemn  council  over  such  vast  problems  as  the 
immaculate  conception,  the  manner  of  the  operation  of 
Christ's  will,  the  digestion  of  communion  bread  and 
wine,  and  the  possession  of  property  by  Christ. 

When  the  Barbarians  overspread  the  empire,  they 
were  plastic  as  children  in  the  hands  of  the  priests,  and 
easily  persuaded  to  substitute  the  Mother  of  God  and 
Christ  for  their  peculiar  deities.  The  New  Religion 
held  high  carnival.  Ignorance  is  the  primeval  slime  in 
which  infallible  authority  grows  sleek  and  powerful. 
The  Christian  hierarchy  grew  from  century  to  century, 
grasping  power  by  every  possible  means,  staying  its  hand 
at  no  crime,  pausing  at  no  cruelty,  until  it  seemed  that 
Europe  must  inevitably  remain  a  theocracy  like  that  of 
ancient  Egypt,  or  of  the  Druids.  From  commutation 
or  payment  for  pardons,  from  tithes,  from  intestate 
estates,  from  legacies,  the  Church  at  one  time  owned 
the  title-deeds  of  a  greater  portion  of  the  lands  of  Eu- 
rope ;  kings  and  emperors  bowed  unclad  in  the  porch  of 
the  Pope's  palace,  who  ruled  with  undisputed  despotism 
over  the  spiritiial  domain,  and  sought  in  the  same  man- 
ner to  seize  temporal  affairs. 

Out  of  this  night  Europe  emerged.  How  ?  By  the 
influence  of  Christianity?  Who,  after  reviewing  this 
dismal  record  of  crime  against  humanity,  dare  assert 
that  the  knowledge  by  which  Europe  is  blessed  to-day, 
and  by  which  she  is  superior  to  the  hordes  of  her  ancient 
forests,  flowed  from  Christianity  ?  If  the  Christian  re- 
ligion is  so  productive  of  advancement,  why  did  it  not 


MAN'S  MORAL  PROGRESS.  123 

put  forth  its  fruits  during  the  thousand  years  it  held 
mankind  in  implicit  obedience,  and  its  nod  was  more 
potent  than  the  laws  of  emperors  ? 

Did  it  foster  learning  ?  Countless  martyrs  at  the  stake 
and  on  the  rack,  whose  only  crime  was  extending  hu- 
man knowledge  beyond  prescribed  limits,  cry  to  the 
pitying  Heavens.  For  a  thousand  years  it  sat  on  the 
prostrate  form  of  a  great  civilization,  and  attempted  to 
guide  the  course  of  events.  What  were  the  results  ? 
Eead  the  chronicles  of  the  Dark  Ages.  With  blanched 
face  and  trembling  nerves  call  up  its  scenes  of  fiendish- 
ness,  where  the  representatives  of  this  religion,  clad 
with  their  power  by  God,  wrought  the  work  of  fiends 
incarnate.  The  morality  of  Europe  sank  below  that  of 
the  Empire  even  under  Xero  and  Caligula.  Morality, 
manly  self-reliance,  and  nobility  of  character  disap- 
peared as  the  new  religion  gained  ascendancy.  We  now 
witness  its  blasting  effects  on  Spain,  a  fossil  of  the  Dark 
Ages,  where  the  priest  is  more  powerful  than  the  king 
he  faithfully  supports.  The  poison  of  unquestioning 
faith  entered  deep  into  the  vital  current  of  Spanish  life, 
and  paralyzed  the  intellect.  It  is  this  same  faith  that 
supports  the  Hapsburgs,  like  evil  birds  preying  on  the 
people,  who  detest,  but  dare  not  move  for  fear  of  the 
terrible  power  unscrupulously  excited  by  the  priesthood. 
Napoleon  held  his  throne,  and  Louis — his  villainous 
shadow — kept  his  position  on  the  slack  rope  of  French 
politics  by  the  same  aid.  Italy — fairest  laud  on  which 
the  sun  ever  shone — almost  perished  in  the  embrace  of 
tin's  devil-fish,  shaken  off  by  desperate  revolution.  The 
coAvled  monk  and  drivelling  priest  are  the  types  of 
Church  perfection. 

Who  wishes  the  hierarchy  could  have  succeeded  as 
they  hoped,  and  made  the  holy  faith  descended  from  the 


124  THE    EELIGION    OF   MAN. 

Apostles  and  sealed  by  the  blood  of  martyrs  the  tri- 
umphant ruler  of  Europe  ?  When  we  read  the  history 
of  its  usurpations,  its  unspeakable  crimes,  its  love  of 
torture,  its  fiendish  cruelty,  are  we  not  unspeakably 
thankful  that  it  did  not  succeed  ? 

The  hierarchy  fought  against  a  self -reliant  people,  and 
the  fortune  of  events  was  against  it.  The  Crusades  not 
only  exposed  the  fallibility  and  duplicity  of  the  Church, 
but  foreign  contact  enlarged  the  intellectual  horizon  of 
Europe.  The  introduction  of  the  long-buried  classics 
through  Arabic  channels  stimulated  the  ever-present 
desire  for  knowledge.  Aristotle,  a  thousand  years  for- 
gotten, became  the  leader  in  science,  and  anew  civiliza- 
tion began  at  the  identical  point  where  research  in  ac- 
curate knowledge  closed  with  the  ancient  philosophers. 
Humanity  had  passed  a  long  night  of  pain,  terrified  by 
the  incubus  of  nightmare,  to  resume  where  thirty  gen- 
erations before  it  surrendered  the  burden. 


'.W  MARTIN. 


GREAT  THEOLOGICAL   PROBLEMS.  125 


VI. 


THE    GREAT    THEOLOGICAL   PROBLEMS — THE     ORIGIN"    OF 
EVIL,  THE  NATURE  OF  GOD,  AND  THE  FUTURE  STATE. 

THE   ORIGIN  OF  EVIL. 

'Tis  not  for  lack  of  goodness,  man, 

The  flames  of  hell  are  lit  ; 
Hear  a  whole  world's  experience 

Proclaim — "  'Tis  lack  of  wit." 

Ah  !  sighing  over  empires  wrecked, 
And  mighty  nations  cowled  in  gloom  ? 

Error  is  mortal  and  must  die, 
But  Progress  rises  from  its  tomb. 

— EMMA  ROOD  TUTTLE. 

THERE  is  a  tendency  of  the  human  mind  to  accept  its 
ignorance  of  a  subject  as  involving  a  problem,  and  after 
research  has  shown  that  what  it  mistook  for  profundity 
was  only  vacuity,  the  devotee  holds  to  his  opinion  with 
a  tenacity  inversely  proportioned  to  its  nothingness. 
At  one  time  astrology  was  believed  to  present  problems 
the  solution  of  which  would  unravel  the  grand  enigma 
of  the  stars  in  their  relation  to  man.  In  another  age 
the  Philosopher's  Stone  and  the  Fountain  of  Youth 
were  as  eagerly  sought.  We  know  now  that  astrology, 
the  Philosopher's  Stone,  the  Fountain  of  Youth,  were 
not  problems,  but  chimeras.  In  like  manner,  moral 
problems  have  been  imagined,  and  the  welfare  of  man, 
not  only  in  this  life  but  in  the  future,  made  to  depend 
on  their  solution.  These  imaginary  problems  have  prob- 
ably engaged  more  attention  and  discussion  than  those 
which  have  a  reality. 


126  THE    RELIGION    OF    MAX. 

Of  these,  the  origin  of  good  and  evil,  redemption,  pre- 
destination, free-will,  and  the  existence  of  Satan  are  ex- 
amples, each  having  called  forth  the  keenest  thought, 
and  many  having  served  as  subjects  of  controversy  for 
ages,  yet  all  actually  being  names  standing  for  nothing. 

Of  these,  none  have  received  more  attention  than  the 
existence  of  evil.  Out  of  it  have  grown  the  overshad- 
owing systems  of  theology  and  the  wonderful  cosmog- 
onies— childish  dreams  of  infantile  man — to  account  for 
the  phenomena  of  Nature. 

Man  is  placed  in  a  beautiful  world,  where  the  grand 
and  inspiring  scenes  of  land  and  ocean,  boundless  forests 
and  plains,  the  stormy  grandeur  of  the  sea,  the  dreary 
expanse  of  the  desert,  constantly  excite  activity  of 
thought  and  profoundest  emotions.  Nature  with  bounti- 
ful hand  spreads  happiness  and  enjoyment  on  every 
side.  Man  plants  the  grape,  the  corn  and  olive,  and 
genial  showers  and  sunshine  mature  the  harvest.  Na- 
ture works  expressly  for  him.  The  uncultured  savage  is 
impressed  with  the  presence  of  a  good  Deity  who  governs 
for  the  express  purpose  of  bestowing  happiness  on  his 
children.  He  is  met,  however,  by  counter-phenomena, 
which  it  seems  impossible  to  refer  to  a  good  being. 
The  sunshine  and  shower,  the  abundant  harvest,  the  ex- 
hilaration of  health  are  mingled  with  the  rush  of  storm, 
with  swift  lightnings  and  terrible  thunders,  prostrating 
in  a  moment  the  labors  of  years  of  repose  ;  the  parching 
drought,  withering  and  destroying  the  efforts  of  man  ; 
pestilence  dark  and  fearful,  and  famine  preying  on 
friend  and  foe.  There  is  an  antagonism  which  cannot 
be  referred  to  one  source.  There  must  exist  an  inferior 
or  equal  power  delighting  in  subverting  the  designs  of 
the  good  and  benevolent  one. 

This  belief  is  not  cf  a  tribe  or  race,  but  is  common  to 


GREAT   THEOLOGICAL    PROBLEMS.  12? 

all  at  a  given  stage  of  advancement.  It  is  not  a  question 
of  time,  but  of  development.  Although  widely  differing 
in  the  trappings  which  surround  them,  there  is  slight 
difference  in  the  countless  myths  of  the  world.  View- 
ing Nature  through  their  animality,  savages  behold 
reflections  of  themselves,  and,  unbiassed  by  geographi- 
cal position  or  age,  arrive  at  similar  conclusions.  They 
are  constantly  impressed  by  this  antagonism.  Storm 
and  zephyr,  sunshine  and  cloud,  health  and  disease,  life 
and  death,  speak  in  unmistakable  language,  and  as  fear 
is  stronger  than  love,  the  C-od  of  Evil  receives  by  far 
the  greater  homage.  They  view  with  apathy  the  bless- 
ings poured  forth  by  the  Good  Deity,  but  become  frantic 
with  fear  and  servilely  prostrate  themselves  in  the  dust 
at  the  approach  of  the  Evil.  Days  of  sunshine,  boun- 
teous harvests,  years  of  health,  are  effaced  by  an  hour 
of  storm,  the  failure  of  a  season,  or  a  moment  of  pain. 

What  is  evil?  Evil  is  imperfection.  We  are  not  to  in- 
quire why  an  all  wise,  omnipotent  Creator  did  not  create 
perfectly  in  the  beginning  ;  we  must  accept  the  fact.  Our 
improvements  acknowledge  Nature's  imperfections.  We 
would  destroy  noxious  weeds,  venomous  reptiles,  and  in- 
sects, thereby  lessening  our  toil  and  ensuring  the  harvest ; 
we  would  abolish  whirlwinds  and  earthquakes,  equalize 
climates,  demolish  mountains,  fill  up  rugged  places,  and 
drain  marshes  and  lakes.  Such  to  us  are  physical  evils  ; 
to  other  children  of  Nature  they  are  not.  She  loves 
the  reptile  of  the  slime  as  well  as  the  eagle  of  the  crag, 
and  is  equally  attentive  to  their  wants.  She  will  cor- 
rect her  failures  in  due  season,  imperceptibly,  without 
convulsion  or  revolution,  while  man  must  suffer  the 
pains  of  his  imperfect  surroundings  and  organization. 
Out  of  this  imperfection  grew  the  evils  of  individual 
action.  The  savage,  barely  able  to  fashion  a  bow  and 


128  THE   RELIGION   OF    MAN". 

spear,  as  little  feels  the  impress  of  a  higher  law  as  the 
lion  or  tiger,  and  as  well  might  we  say  to  the  latter,  as 
it  leaps  on  its  victim,  "  Cease,  it  is  wrong."  Both  act 
in  accordance  with  their  organization.  It  is  just  and 
honorable  for  the  Carib  to  refresh  himself  at  his  canni- 
bal repast  according  to  his  standard.  The  passions  be- 
ing first  developed  and  unguided,  there  is,  previous  to 
the  growth  of  the  intellect,  a  period  of  great  excess. 
This  is  overcome  by  growth,  and,  one  by  one,  errors 
none  the  less  necessary  for  being  false  are  discarded. 
The  mind  matures  as  the  limbs  of  an  infant  are  enabled 
to  walk.  Progress  is  the  evolution  of  inherent  qualities. 
It  is  not  derived  from  revelation  or  any  foreign  source. 
To  understand  a  revelation  there  must  be  answering 
faculties  in  man's  mind,  else  it  would  be  unintelligible. 
A  revelation  of  morals  to  a  totally  depraved  being  would 
be  in  an  unknown  tongue.  Man  is  organically  moral, 
else  he  could  not  have  moral  ideas  ;  and,  possessing  in- 
nate moral  capacities,  he  has  no  need  of  a  revela- 
tion. 

The  first  conception  of  evil  originated  in  an  imperfect 
knowledge  of  Nature,  and  the  personification  of  this 
imperfect  knowledge  is  the  God  of  Evil.  The  attain- 
ments of  a  later  age,  by  indicating  its  origin,  demolish 
the  dogma.  If  the  Good  Deity  is  infinite  in  benevolence 
and  power,  and  created  everything  as  pleased  him,  he 
could  not  have  created  evil.  Then,  if  evil  exists,  it 
must  be  self -existent —a  supposition  conflicting  with  the 
infiniteness  of  the  Good  Deity. 

Evil  is  the  friction  of  Nature's  activities  working  for 
eternal  good. 

As  man  advances,  he  is  torn  less  and  less  by  the  thorns 
against  which  he  is  thrust  by  ignorance,  and  realizes 
that  the  only  divine  life  is  that  wherein  he  comprehends 


QEEAT   THEOLOGICAL   PKOBLEMS.  129 

Nature  and  gladly  does  her  bidding,  and  that  Evil  can 
only  be  overcome  by  growth. 


THE  NATURE   OF  GOD. 

Each  nation  believes  that  its  own  laws  are  by  far  the  most  ex- 
cellent. No  one,  therefore,  but  a  madman  would  treat  such 
prejudices  with  contempt.— HERODOTUS. 

FROM  the  All-God  to  the  One  God  who  rules  all  is  a 
long  and  painful  journey.  The  idea  was  conceived  in 
a  false  understanding  of  natural  phenomena,  and  its 
progress  is  the  application  of  increasing  knowledge. 
Monotheism,  simply  substituting  one  God  in  place  of 
many,  is  scarcely  removed  from  Polytheism.  Its  great 
advance  is  ma.de  when  it  shakes  off  his  personality  and 
believes  God  to  be  a  spiritual  essence. 

The  Protean  forms  the  idea  and  conception  of  God 
have  assumed  should  teach  the  falsity  of  the  theory  that 
God  is  revealed  to  the  intuitions.  Zenophanes  saw  the 
error  of  supposing  man's  conception  of  God  a  proof  of 
his  existence  or  character.  He  said,  "  If  horses  or  lions 
had  hands  and  should  make  their  deities,  they  would 
respectively  make  a  horse  and  a  lion."  English  theo- 
logical writers  have  rarely  ventured  to  attempt  the  proof 
of  the  existence  of  God  by  philosophical  argument. 
Kant  has  shown  their  insufficiency.  The  stronghold  is 
in  intuition.  The  reason  acknowledges  God's  existence. 
But  what  becomes  of  this  supposition  when  it  is  found 
that  whole  nations  have  no  idea  of  God,  and  when  some 
of  the  most  enlightened  men  fail  to  feel  his  existence  ? 
Monotheism  is  not  the  end  of  the  series,  but  it  reduces 
the  gods  to  one.  What  is  his  nature  ? 

He  is  self -existent. 


130  THE    RELIGION    OF   MAN. 

It  is  said,  in  argument  of  the  existence  of  God,  that 
we  cannot  conceive  of  creation,  with  all  its  designs  and 
adaptations,  without  a  planner,  a  creator  ;  at  the  same 
time  it  is  asserted  that  we  can  conceive  of  the  self  exist- 
ence of  the  designer  !  In  other  words,  the  mind  that 
cannot  comprehend  the  lesser  is  amply  able  to  grasp 
the  greater  !  He  is  of  infinite  power,  wisdom,  and 
love.  Are  these  spiritual  abstractions,  or  are  they  per- 
sonified ?  Necessarily  the  latter,  and  every  man's  con- 
ception must  be  different.  What  logically  follows? 
That  as  our  ideas  of  God  are  projections  of  ourselves, 
there  can  be  no  certain  and  true  idea  of  the  Divine. 
We  may  build  an  ideal  of  what  God  must  be,  analyzed 
to  his  elements.  He  must  be  infinite  causation,  as  the 
cause  of  all  ;  he  must  be  the  controlling  mind,  yet  he 
cannot  reason,  for  that  would  imply  imperfect  con- 
sciousness, the  co-ordination  of  cause  and  effect ;  he 
cannot  be  said  to  foresee,  for  that  implies  relations  as  to 
time  ;  he  cannot  be  said  to  have  judgment,  fancy,  com- 
parison, qualities  of  the  finite  mind.  The  primary  ele- 
ments left,  by  analogy,  are  being,  cause,  knowledge, 
love — each  of  infinite  degree. 

Can  personality  be  formed  from  these  ?  Can  they  be 
infinite  in  a  personal  being?  Well  did  the  learned  and 
pious  Dr.  Arnold  say  :  "It  is  only  of  God  in  Christ 
that  I  can,  in  my  present  state  of  being,  conceive  any- 
thing at  all."  The  abstract  God  is  the  Father ;  the 
personified  God  is  Christ.  The  Trinity  supplies  the 
needs  of  both  the  metaphysician  and  the  most  sensual 
mind. 

God  must  be  infinite.  Man,  being  finite,  can  form 
no  conception  or  idea  of  him  whatever.  This  is  an  un- 
avoidable logical  conclusion,  from  the  necessity  of  man's 
constitution. 


GEEAT  THEOLOGICAL   PROBLEMS.  131 

But,  it  is  claimed,  we  cannot  understand  Nature  or 
ourselves— not  even  the  growth  of  the  humblest  flower  ; 
shall  we  therefore  cease  investigation  ?  The  fields  of 
thought  thus  compared  are  totally  unlike.  With  mat- 
ter we  deal  with  finiteness,  and  pause  on  the  threshold 
of  infinite  generalizations.  With  God  thero  are  no 
finite  qualities  to  seize  hold  of  ;  his  very  being  is  differ- 
ent from  ours,  and  to  us  his  thoughts  cannot  be  trans- 
lated. 

As  children  strive  to  clutch  the  moon,  philosophers 
and  metaphysical  theologians  have  endeavored  to  grasp 
the  infinite.  They  attempted  the  impossible  and  failed, 
and  the  world  is  little  better  for  all  their  dogmatical 
speculations. 

It  is  claimed  that  belief  in  God  is  the  foundation  of 
all  religion.  This  is  true  of  religion  considered  as  the 
ceremonial  growing  out  of  a  belief  that  God  demands 
reverence  from  man,  but  not  true  of  morality.  Men 
have  believed  in  all  varieties  of  gods,  or  renounced  all 
gods,  and  yet  lived  honest,  upright,  and  noble  lives. 
The  solution  of  this  vexed  problem  has  no  relation  to 
morality,  being  only  interesting  to  religious  schemers. 
While  the  best  of  men  have  held  diametrically  opposed 
ideas  of  a  God,  or  placed  such  ideas  with  the  indeter- 
minable, the  worst  and  most  fiendish  of  mankind  have 
claimed  to  understand  God  perfectly,  and  have  waded 
in  human  gore  to  vindicate  their  opinions,  and  often 
sealed  their  faith  by  terrible  forms  of  martyrdom. 

Let  Theology  bury  its  myriad  dead,  whose  bones  whiten 
the  plains  of  the  Old  World  ;  wait  till  the  pitying 
showers  of  heaven  wash  away  the  stains  of  blood,  the 
fagot  ceases  to  smoke,  the  tears  of  widows  and  mothers 
and  helpless  children  be  dried,  and  a  great  race  of  people 
rise  from  the  dust  in  which  with  iron  heel  it  has  crushed 


132  THE    RELIGION    OF   MAX. 

their  spirits,  ere  it  call  its  worship  the  religion  of  love 
and  peace  sent  to  redeem  mankind. 

Science  will  go  her  quiet  way,  of  God  neither  affirm- 
ing nor  denying.  All  that  the  past  has  furnished  in 
proof  of  the  existence  of  a  Divine  Architect  she  pro- 
nounces the  assumption  of  children  grasping  at  the  moon. 
The  vexed  so-called  problem  is  not  a  problem  ;  it  is  a 
chimera.  She  goes  forward  from  facts  to  the  order  of 
facts  called  law,  on  to  the  organization  of  matter.  Here 
the  human  mind  stands  on  the  threshold  of  an  unknown 
universe  into  which  it  can  go,  which  it  will  conquer  and 
claim,  only  to  find,  as  the  intellect  grows  acute,  new  do- 
mains extending  beyond.  As  we  pass  from  matter  to 
law,  from  law  to  principle,  from  principle  to  attribute 
far  beyond  the  outermost  skirts  of  space,  we  may  tread 
the  sanctuary  of  Supreme  Being.  What  is  his  nature  ? 
Is  he  personal?  Is  he  an  omnipotent  spirit?  Vain 
questions  !  When  the  intellect  enters  the  sanctuary,  all 
shall  be  made  plain.  Until  then  it  must  calmly  wait, 
content  with  investigations  it  can  comprehend. 


THE  FUTURE  STATE. 

Do  right ;  act  justly  ;  love  your  race  ;  then  will  you  softly 
close  your  eyes  in  sleep  when  age  has  settled  on  your  earthly 
form.  No  shadow  will  darken  your  soul,  but  peacefully  will  the 
internal  unfold  itself,  and  you  will  awake  in  heaven  an  angel  of 
light. — THE  SAGE. 

But  my  mind — by  I  know  not  what  secret  impulse — was  ever 
raising  its  views  into  future  ages,  strongly  persuaded  that  I  should 
then  only  begin  to  live  when  I  ceased  to  exist  in  the  present 
world.  Indeed,  if  the  soul  were  not  naturally  immortal,  never, 
surely,  would  the  desire  for  immortal  glory  be  a  passion  which 
always  exerts  itself  with  the  greatest  force  in  the  noblest  and  most 
exalted  bosoms.— CICERO. 


GREAT   THEOLOGICAL    PROBLEMS.  133 

A  BELIEF  in  the  immortal  existence  is  perhaps  more 
universal  than  that  in  the  existence  of  the  gods.  There 
are  tribes  of  men  too  low  to  entertain  it,  but  it  seems 
that  no  high  state  of  advancement  is  requisite  for  its 
rudest  form.  It  is  from  its  lowest  to  its  most  perfect 
state  a  reflection  of  the  intellectual  status  of  its  recip- 
ient. Savages  pass  to  a  land  where  the  chase  is  success- 
ful, a  country  stocked  with  game.  They  place  in  the 
grave  of  the  dead  warrior  his  bow  and  arrow  and  provi- 
sions for  his  lonely  journey.  All  go  to  one  place.  As 
man  advances,  orders  of  merit  are  recognized  ;  the  good 
are  separated  from  the  bad  ;  either  directly  or  through 
mediators,  the  gods  pass  judgment  on  mortals. 

The  doctrine  in  Hindoostan  and  Egypt  early  attained 
a  complex  expression.  The  spirit,  although  immortal 
and  descending  from  eternity,  became  involved  in  the 
vortex  of  metempsychosis,  and  was  compelled  to  follow 
a  weary  round  of  being.  The  belief  has  descended  to 
the  present  in  the  petrified  theology  of  Hindoostan.  The 
visible  body  contains  a  subtile  invisible  body,  to  which 
the  faculties  are  assigned.  This  spiritual  body  is  not 
cast  off  at  death,  but  accompanies  the  soul  in  its  trans- 
migration, until  it  is  left  at  the  beatific  absorption  into 
the  bosom  of  Brahm  ;  tlien  it  returns,  and  is  again 
clothed  with  a  physical  body,  the  form  of  which  depends 
on  the  character  of  the  soul  that  last  inhabited  it. 

This  expression  of  the  doctrine  has  been  more  widely 
received  than  any  other.  It  was  early  transferred  to 
Greece,  and  appears  in  the  songs  of  her  bards  and  the 
speculations  of  her  philosophers.  Greece  always  had  her 
sceptics,  but  immortality  was  defended  by  her  best 
minds.  Her  philosophers  built  up  metaphysical  argu- 
ments with  similar  tact  and  acumen  to  that  manifested 
by  metaphysical  theologians  of  to-day,  and  equally  well 


134  THE   RELIGION    OF   MAX. 

succeeded  in  asking  more  questions  than  they  answered. 
Her  poets  dreamed  of  Elysian  fields,  and  her  people  re- 
ceived their  fancies  with  the  same  relish  they  did  the 
lucubrations  of  her  sages.  When  there  are  no  facts  to 
guide  the  vaulting  imagination,  there  is  no  predicting 
where  it  will  take  its  erratic  course. 

The  priests  early  seized  the  doctrine,  and  forged  out 
of  it  chains  for  the  spirit.  It  gave  them  not  only  power 
over  the  body,  but  also  enabled  them  to  blast  the  im- 
mortal being.  It  would  be  inferred  that  the  chosen 
people  of  God  from  the  beginning  had  a  clear  and  per- 
fect conception  of  immortal  life.  As  a  cardinal  doctrine 
of  religion  and  incentive  to  morality,  they  should  have 
understood  its  elements,  and  their  sacred  books  defi- 
nitely expressed  it.  These  books  indicate  their  human 
origin  by  their  conflicting  statements  of  this  important 
subject,  at  times  showing  that  the  writers  had  a  dim 
idea  of  futurity,  and  at  others  positively  denying  it. 
The  early  writers  placed  the  seat  of  the  soul  in  the  blood, 
the  breath,  the  heart,  and  the  bowels.  Their  ideas  were 
fluctuating  and  indefinite.  The  future  state  was  a  dark, 
joyless,  conscious  state,  like  the  shadow-land  of  the 
Greek  poets.  The  prophets  could  be  evoked  by  witches  ; 
and  favorites  of  the  gods,  like  Enoch  and  Elijah,  were 
miraculously  translated.  Again,  the  doctrine  is  posi- 
tively denied  in  the  Sacred  Word.  "  As  the  waters  fail 
from  the  sea,  and  the  flood  decayeth  and  drieth  up,  so 
man  lieth  down  and  riseth  not,"  etc.  "  For  there  is 
no  work,  nor  device,  nor  knowledge,  nor  wisdom  in  the 
grave  whither  thou  goest."  "  For  that  which  befalleth 
the  sons  of  men  befalleth  the  beasts.  ...  As  the  one 
dieth,  so  dieth  the  other  ;  yea,  they  have  all  one  breath. " 

During  the  exile,  the  Jews  imbibed  from  the  religion 
of  Zoroaster  a  more  complete  idea  of  immortality. 


GEEAT   THEOLOGICAL   PEOBLEMS.  135 

Henceforth  the  sacred  writers  speak  more  definitely,  and 
in  Maccabees  a  moral  application  is  made.  It  is  used 
as  an  incentive.  The  righteous  are  to  be  happy,  the 
sinful  miserable,  in  the  next  life.  At  the  advent  of 
Jesus  we  find  three  phases  of  the  belief  entertained  by 
three  distinct  sects.  The  Pharisees  maintained  the  res- 
urrection of  the  body — an  idea  older  than  the  Egyptian 
Pyramids.  A  divergent  portion  received  also  the  doc- 
trine of  transmigration,  and  must  have  entertained  the 
companion  belief  of  pre-existence.  The  Essenes  believed 
in  a  future  state,  where  the  actions  of  this  life  would  be 
rewarded  or  punished,  but  discarded  the  corporeal  res- 
urrection. The  Sadduoees  were  doubters,  and  en- 
tirely discarded  the  doctrine.  Such  was  the  influence 
of  revelation  on  those  for  whom  it  was  especially  de- 
signed. 

The  advance  of  the  idea  of  a  future  state  as  a  reflec- 
tion of  the  receiving  mind  kept  pace  with  intellectual 
growth.  It  has  been  discarded  by  many  great  think- 
ers, and  received  by  other  minds  equally  great,  and  it 
would  seem  that  the  abilities  of  metaphysics  have  been 
exhausted  in  the  arguments  on  either  side. 

The  New  Testament,  as  well  as  the  Old,  leaves  the 
subject  of  the  form  of  future  existence  indeterminate. 
From  them  certain  sects  claim  the  resurrection  of  the 
body  and  its  reinhabiting  the  earth  ;  others  the  reverse. 
Some  claim  the  eternal  death  of  the  wicked  ;  others 
their  eternal  torture. 

The  belief  has  been  used  to  terrible  purpose  by  the 
priesthood.  The  ghastly  theology  of  Christianity  turns 
on  immortality.  Hell  and  its  fearful  despot  are  the 
stock-in-trade  of  the  Protestant,  and  praying  souls  out 
of  purgatory  the  lucrative  business  of  the  Catholic 
priesthood. 


136  THE    RELIGIOX    OF    MAN. 

Man  having  fallen,  and  thereby  committed  an  infinite 
sin,  must  be  saved.  This  theology  does  not  trouble 
itself  about  this  life,  but  is  vitally  concerned  with  the 
next.  Earthly  life  is  too  brief  for  it  to  carry  out  its 
diabolic  schemes  of  endless  torture.  Eternal  life  must 
be  bestowed  for  that  purpose.  It  breaks  the  continuity 
of  existence  at  death  ;  what  is  good  for  this  life  may  be 
damnation  for  the  next ;  overrides  all  laws,  and  howls 
the  doom  of  myriads  damned.  It  is  not  surprising  that 
culture,  disgusted  with  such  barbarous  doctrines,  should 
revolt  against  them  and  support  absolute  materialism, 
finding  in  that  system  the  true  basis  of  morality  and 
happiness. 

Metempsychosis  does  not  meet  the  scientific  demands 
of  an  immortal  existence.  It  involves  the  birth  and  ex- 
istence of  every  living  being  in  direct  interference  of  a 
personal  God,  a  perpetual  miracle.  If  the  spirit  clothes 
itself  with  flesh  through  embryonic  growth,  then  it  fol- 
lows that  generation  itself  is  only  another  name  for  this 
process,  and  could  not  exist  without  a  spirit  ready  to  be 
incarnated.  The  science  of  life  in  such  case  would  be- 
come valueless  and  visionary.  While  every  fact  of  sci- 
ence opposes  this  theory,  it  has  not  a  single  evidence  of 
its  own  to  bring  in  support.  The  vague  sense  of  double 
existence,  or  a  preceding  state,  to  which  is  given  so 
much  weight,  is  fully  explained  by  the  well- determined 
duality  of  the  brain,  both  hemispheres  normally  receiv- 
ing the  same  impression  at  the  same  instant,  and  thus 
combining  them  as  one,  as  the  double  organs  of  seeing 
and  hearing  convert  two  images  into  one.  But  abnor- 
mally one  hemisphere  acts  slower  than  the  other.  An  in- 
determinate interval  of  time  intervenes  between  the  two 
actions,  and  one  is  projected  into  the  past  and  con- 
founded with  things  remembered.  The  theory  of  reincar- 


GREAT   THEOLOGICAL   PKOBLEMS.  137 

nation  is  opposed  to  science,  as  it  breaks  the  continuity 
of  evolution,  and  substitutes  miracle  for  law. 

As  sure  as  creation  is  pervaded  by  a  fixed  and  deter- 
minate plan,  is  it  certain  that  man's  future  life,  what- 
ever its  form  may  be,  constitutes  a  part  of  that  plan. 
"When  we  survey  the  realm  of  causation  this  unity  can- 
not escape  us.  All  causes  and  all  effects  tend  in  one 
direction,  like  the  irresistible  set  of  a  great  current. 
The  evolution  of  organic  life  out  of  the  primeval  slime, 
its  progress  through  successive  types,  ascending  step  by 
step  the  ladder  of  existence,  through  mollusks,  fishes, 
reptiles,  and  mammals,  to  man,  indicate  terms  in  the 
series  of  advance.  Is  man  the  last  term  ?  Shall  causa- 
tion, having  reached  its  limit  in  him,  go  no  further,  or 
expend  itself  in  making  him  more  and  more  perfect? 
Then,  to  our  finite  reason,  Nature  is  a  failure.  The 
perfection  of  physical  form  was  reached  years  ago,  and 
advance  has  been  diverted  into  the  new  channels  of 
moral,  intellectual,  and  spiritual  life.  Only  in  this  di- 
rection is  unlimited  progress  possible.  Man's  immor- 
tality thus  becomes  a  part  of  Nature's  plan — the  great 
end  and  aim  of  creative  energy  :  not  a  foreign  element 
introduced  at  death,  nor  a  supernatural  state,  but  an 
evolution  from  physical  existence,  and  amenable  to  de- 
terminate laws. 

The  future  state  thus  considered  is  no  longer  a  part 
of  theology,  but  a  portion  of  knowledge,  and  its  relig- 
ious and  moral  bearing  is  radically  changed.  What  its 
superstitious  inculcation  yields  has  already  been  noticed. 
It  often  has  a  beautiful  effect  on  the  life,  but  more  often 
in  the  past  became  a  terrible  engine  of  misery  and  deg- 
radation as  it  was  manipulated  by  craft  and  unflinching 
selfishness.  When  made  a  part  of  accurate  knowledge, 
stripped  of  supernaturalism,  held  to  the  rule  of  law,  re- 


138  THE    RELIGION"   OF    MAX. 

duced  to  the  province  of  science,  and  viewed  with  calm 
reason,  immortality  becomes  the  crowning  desire  and 
blessing  of  human  life.  Under  its  best  phase,  as  a  re- 
ligious institution,  the  future  of  the  righteous  was  a 
curse  ;  and  Prometheus  bound  to  the  rock,  with  in- 
satiate vultures  tearing  his  vitals,  is  an  appropriate 
symbol  of  man  forced  to  accept  an  immortality  of  despair- 
ing misery  or  passive  inactivity.  Ennobled  as  the  goal 
of  physical  causation,  emerging  from  the  slime  of  super- 
stition, taking  rank  with  sister  sciences,  the  future  life, 
with  its  lofty  ideality,  reacts  with  irresistible  force  on 
the  earthly  existence. 


VII. 

FALL,    AND    THE    CHRISTIAN    SCHEME    FOR    HIS 
REDEMPTION. 


As  in  Adam  all  die,  so  in  Christ  shall  all  be  made  alive.— 
BIBLE. 

There  is  but  one  religion,  and  it  can  never  die. — THEODORE 
PARKER. 

THEOLOGY  makes  the  fundamental  assertion  that 
Adam  was  created  directly  by  God,  pronounced  perfect, 
and  placed  in  a  perfect  world.  He  had  the  choice  of 
good  and  evil,  and  choosing  the  latter,  alienated  not  only 
himself  but  the  whole  human  race  from  God,  corrupted 
absolutely  and  irretrievably  the  fountain  of  morality, 
and  metamorphosed  mankind  into  the  offspring  of  the 
Devil,  corrupt  from  the  crown  of  their  heads  to  the  soles 
of  their  feet.  "  Ever  since  the  fall  of  Adam,  age  has 


MAN'S  FALL.  139 

shaken  the  tree  of  human  life,  and  the  Devil  has  gath- 
ered the  fruit  into  hell. " 

Man  insulted  the  Infinite  by  his  own  free  choice,  and 
his  punishment  is  endless  death.  God's  eternal  justice 
knows  no  mercy  ;  and  hence  man  must  suffer  the  an- 
guish and  torture  of  fire,  the  gnawing  tooth  of  the  un- 
dying worm  of  pain,  forever  and  ever. 

This  terrible  view  of  the  origin  of  sin  and  its  porten- 
tous consequences,  conjured  out  of  the  gloomy  depths 
of  a  diseased  and  morbid  imagination,  requires  an 
equally  tremendous  myth  for  the  redemption  of  man,  the 
fallen  god,  the  incarnate  devil.  He  of  himself  is  pow- 
erless. Utterly,  hopelessly  depraved,  he  must  rely  on 
the  atoning  power  of  something  outside  of  himself  for 
salvation. 

Creation  had  proved  a  gigantic  failure.  The  highest 
effort  of  creative  energy  was  an  abortion  ;  and  the  ulti- 
mate spirit  for  whom  all  this  labor  had  been  expended, 
instead  of  rising  to  the  light  of  God,  rushed  madly  into 
darkness,  and  became  a  slave  to  Satan,  his  enemy. 
Logically,  it  may  be  difficult  to  account  for  a  perfect 
man  in  a  perfect  world  overruled  by  an  omnipotent  and 
infinite  God  falling  into  sin,  but  theology  passes  this 
abyss  on  the  bridge  of  mystery. 

Man,  having  fallen,  must  be  saved.  The  Infinite  God 
had  performed  his  best  work,  and  failed.  There  was  no 
alternative  in  this  unique  spiritual  cosmogony  but  for 
God  to  sacrifice  himself.  An  infinite  sin  had  been 
committed,  and  an  infinite  sacrifice  only  could  atone 
for  it.  The  death  and  never-ending  pain  of  myriads  of 
men  would  be  as  a  drop  to  the  ocean  of  punishment  re- 
quired. God,  as  the  only  Infinite  Being,  must  suffer. 

Placing  the  doctrine  of  metempsychosis  and  the  He- 
brew idea  of  the  efficacy  of  animal  sacrifices  together, 


140  THE    EELIGION"   OF   MAN". 

both  ardently  supported  by  the  Pagan  world  thousands  of 
years  before  Christ,  the  ready  reception  of  the  divine  in- 
carnation of  Christ  can  be  understood.  The  Infinite 
Spirit  descended,  and  in  the  person  of  Christ,  by  mar- 
tyrdom, paid  the  infinite  debt.  The  ledger  of  Heaven 
by  this  act  was  balanced,  and  an  infinite  sum  carried 
over  to  the  credit  side.  "  The  blood  of  Christ,"  says 
Jerome,  ';  quenched  the  flaming  sword  at  the  entrance 
of  Paradise."  The  countless  millions  of  spirits  confined 
in  the  terrible  underworld,  or  Hades,  were  released,  and 
the  heavens  were  white  with  the  glitter  of  their  ascend- 
ing wings.  Christ  died  for  us  ;  to  him  wo  look  for  sal- 
vation, and  if  we  believe  in  him,  even  at  the  last  hour, 
we  are  safe.  The  divinity  of  Christ  reflects  on  his 
mother,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  idea  of  incarna- 
tion will  extend  to  every  child,  that  they  may  be  re- 
garded as  incarnations  of  Divinity — miraculous  concep- 
tions, to  mature  into  perfection. 

In  this  scheme  there  is  no  choice.  "  Whatever  is  not 
a  duty  is  a  sin."  A  blind  obedience  is  the  only  praise- 
worthy passion  of  human  nature,  which  is  so  absolutely 
corrupt  that  there  is  no  hope  for  any  one  until  he  is  sure 
it  is  dead  within  him.  We  can  do  nothing  without 
sinning  ;  but  the  more  we  surrender  ourselves  to  God, 
the  less  sin  we  commit.  Dreary  doctrines  ;  how  they 
distort  the  soul  !  And  yet  how  many  think  the  dwarf- 
ed, starved,  and  pinched  specimens  treated  by  this  sys- 
tem models  of  Christian  virtue  !  So  are  there  admirers 
of  the  distorted  evergreens,  trained  into  the  forms  of 
pyramids  and  animals,  which  disfigure  many  a  lawn, 
who  think  them  more  beautiful  than  the  trees  of  the 
forest.  The  elasticity  of  the  tree  can  be  subdued  ;  it 
becomes  so  gnarled  it  ceases  to  resist.  So  the  mind 
can  be  cramped  and  stinted  until  it  ceases  to  rebel ; 


MAN'S  FALL.  141 

but  this  is  a  terrible  condition — an  imposition  and  a 
sham. 

These  ideas  give  tone  and  direction  to  Christianity. 
They  make  it  a  system  to  be  endured,  not  of  develop- 
ment. It  is  fitly  represented  as  a  grievous  cross,  and 
Banyan's  "Pilgrim's  Progress"  is  the  most  popular, 
because  the  most  correct  picture  of  a  Christian  life. 

If  the  idea  of  atonement  for  sin  through  the  suffer- 
ings of  another  were  not  so  generally  received,  its  refu- 
tation might  be  considered  a  gratuitous  task.  Eeally  no 
belief  is  so  abiding,  none  more  zealously  held.  Beliefs 
once  thoroughly  impressed  are  well-nigh  indelible.  The 
young  mind  finds  a  system  ready  made,  which  it  is 
taught  to  revere,  to  receive  unquestioningly,  and  which 
becomes  a  shell,  hard,  indurated,  impenetrable,  from 
which  it  is  difficult  to  escape,  and  in  which  it  is  com- 
fortable to  reside.  Selfishness  is  strongly  enlisted.  We 
throw  our  transgressions  on  the  shoulders  of  another, 
and  are  saved  by  faith.  The  incentives  are  of  the  basest 
— hope  of  gain  and  fear  of  suffering.  Heaven  is  held 
out  by  the  Infinite  Father  as  a  sugar  plum,  and  hell 
yawns  to  frighten  !  A  strange  moral  government  of  the 
world  !  Can  the  Church  advance  out  of  it  !  Mankind 
assuredly  can  and  will,  but  the  Church  cannot,  for  as 
soon  as  it  does  its  character  is  wholly  changed.  There 
is  no  need  of  a  church  except  to  save  man  in  this  man- 
ner. 

If  man  never  fell,  if  he  is  a  progressive  instead  of  a 
retrogressive  being,  the  stupendous  scheme  is  an  idle 
tale,  and  with  it  atonement,  salvation,  and  numberless 
minor  dogmas  become  superfluous.  Outside  of  theology 
or  mythology  there  is  no  indication  of  man's  fall.  Sci- 
ence has  not  been  consulted  by  bigoted  votaries  ;  her 
followers  have  pursued  their  thoughtful  way,  while  the 


142  THE    EELIGIOX   OF   MAX. 

theologians  have  gone  theirs.  Theological  speculation 
is  the  easiest  speculation,  for  it  does  not  require  facts, 
and  if  incapable  of  demonstration,  is  equally  invulnerable 
to  refutation  by  those  employing  the  same  weapons.  It 
has  been  dimly  seen  that  science  conflicts  with  the  bibli- 
cal myths  of  the  creation,  and  although,  on  one  hand, 
theology  has  sought  to  reconcile  science  with  itself,  the 
students  of  the  latter  have  not  made  any  such  attempt, 
rather  shrinking  from  the  application  of  the  facts  which 
they  well  knew  were  in  such  irreconcilable  opposition. 
Geology  has  proved  the  vast  duration  of  the  world,  and 
more  dexterous  hands  than  have  yet  applied  themselves 
to  the  work  must  gloss  its  revelations  to  make  them  ap- 
parently accord  with  the  Bible. 

"With  the  extension  of  the  age  of  the  Earth,  the  intro- 
duction of  man  is  carried  into  the  Past.  Beyond  the  in- 
determinate period  of  tradition,  the  geologist  finds  an 
indisputably  authentic  volume  written  on  tablets  of  rock 
by  fossil  remains.  Adam,  as  the  first  man,  becomes  a 
myth.  Before  he  is  said  to  have  been  placed  in  the 
Garden  of  Eden,  man  had  inhabited  the  earth  for  a  vast 
period  of  time.  That  mystic  era  before  the  beginning 
of  history,  when  man  existed  as  the  rudest  savage,  has 
been  divided  into  the  Iron,  Bronze,  and  Stone  Ages. 
Each  of  these  periods  represents  a  vast  epoch.  Man  first 
used  stone  weapons  ;  then  he  discovered  bronze  ;  and, 
lastly,  iron.  An  age  previous  to  and  lower  than  stone 
weapons  has  been  discovered.  M.  Boucher  de  Perthes 
divides  the  Stone  Age  into  the  ground  and  unground. 
He  says  :  "  We  have  no  knowledge  of  any  savages  at 
present  so  low  that  they  do  not  sharpen  their  weapons 
by  attrition,  but  the  lowest  Stone  Age  presents  us  ex- 
amples of  this  want  of  sharpening.  The  implements 
found  in  the  post-tertiary,  so  far,  are  only  chipped  rude- 


MAN'S  FALL.  143 

ly  into  form  ;  they  are  spear-heads,  leaf-shaped  instru- 
ments, flints  chipped  to  an  edge  on  one  side  and  left 
unwrought  on  the  other.  When  the  Tasmanian  wants 
an  instrument  for  cutting  wood,  he  takes  a  stone  and 
breaks  an  edge,  with  which  he  at  once  proceeds  to  his 
work.  Similar  instruments  are  found  in  the  drift.  The 
instruments  of  the  drift  are  less  neatly  formed  by  larger 
chippings  than  those  of  the  Scandinavian  shell  heaps, 
or  of  America.  Besides  absence  of  grinding,  the  in- 
struments are  very  rude,  a  character  which  gives  them 
important  bearing  on  the  history  of  civilization."  The 
men  who  used  these  weapons  made  by  breaking  stones 
to  an  accidental  sharp  edge  dwelt  in  caves.  Of  them 
Vogt  remarks  :  "  The  cave  man  was  the  rudest  of  sav- 
ages. Perhaps  there  exists  at  present  no  race  so  low. 
His  diet  was  exclusively  flesh.  No  traces  of  vegetable 
food,  nor  even  hooks  or  nets  for  capturing  fish,  have 
been  found.  He  attacked  his  prey — like  a  wild  animal 
— by  cunning,  speed,  strength  ;  and  it  seems  that  with 
his  simple  stone  instruments  he  mastered  the  young 
rhinoceros.  He  clothed  himself  with  the  skins  of  ani- 
mals sewed  together  with  sinews  by  means  of  needle- 
shaped  bones.  His  dwelling  was  a  nest  or  hut,  perhaps 
little  better  than  some  anthropoid  apes  construct.  He 
had  no  domestic  animals  ;  and  not  until  a  later  period 
did  he  domesticate  the  dog — the  first  animal  he  took 
under  his  protection."  Such  is  a  faithful  picture  of 
the  European  savage — the  progenitor  of  the  Anglo- 
Saxon. 

For  the  last  fifty  years  facts  have  been  constantly  pro- 
duced in  support  of  the  vast  antiquity  of  man  ;  but  so 
strong  has  been  theological  prejudice  that  they  have 
either  been  strenuously  denied  or  ignored.  Human  fos- 
sils have  been  repeatedly  found  in  such  positions  and 


144  THE    RELIGION"    OF   MAN. 

state  of  preservation  that  had  they  belonged  to  any  other 
animal  they  would  have  been  pronounced  true  fossils, 
but,  belonging  to  man,  they  were  at  once  cast  aside 
as  recent.  Slowly  and  patiently  scientists  have  labored 
and  accumulated  a  mass  of  facts  which  now  challenge 
refutation.  In  no  province  of  investigation  has  preju- 
dice more  absolutely  suppressed  facts  or  silenced  reason. 
Theologians  make  no  mention  of  the  mass  of  evidence 
daily  accumulating,  presuming  that  science  and  theology 
have  no  relation.  They  have  found  that  this,  like 
all  other  questions,  must  be  fought  on  the  ground  of 
positive  knowledge.  The  discoveries  bearing  on  man 
have  been  condensed  in  another  volume—"  Origin  and 
Antiquity  of  Man  ;"  and  the  present  pages  only  allow 
of  the  general  statement  of  their  results.  M.  Boucher 
de  Perthes,  from  calculations  based  on  the  growth  of 
peat,  makes  the  flint  arrows  found  in  the  Valley  of  the 
Somme,  in  France,  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand 
years  old,  and  yet  to  this  vast  duration  must  be  added 
the  indeterminable  period  allowed  for  the  formation  of 
the  gravel  bed  in  which  they  are  found.  Human  fossils 
are  found  in  Sweden,  at  least  (estimated  by  Lycll's  data 
of  two  feet  and  a  half  of  coast  elevation  in  a  century) 
twenty-seven  thousand  five  hundred  years  old. 

The  investigations  of  Linaut  Bey  in  the  Delta  of 
Egypt  give  certain  evidence  that  man  was  sufficiently 
civilized  to  fashion  bricks  and  pottery  forty-one  thou- 
sand years  before  the  building  of  the  Pyramids.  Be- 
neath this  civilized  state — for  man  had  already  made  a 
great  advance  when  he  acquired  the  art  of  making  pot- 
tery— lies  the  savage  or  Stone  Age,  when  he  possessed 
only  stone  arrows  and  spears,  such  as  the  Valley  of  the 
Somme  has  preserved.  He  dwelt  in  the  midst  of  a  dense 
wilderness  inhabited  by  colossal  beasts,  armed  only  with 


MAN'S  FALL.  145 

a  rudely  broken  flint.  For  what  length  of  time  he  had 
previously  existed  cannot  be  determined,  but  he  had  ad- 
vanced from  the  rudest  state  by  a  process  slow  and  pain- 
ful. The  more  enlightened  a  people,  the  more  rapid 
their  advancement.  Savage  tribes  remain  from  age  to 
age  apparently  without  change,  so  extremely  slow  is  the 
awakening  of  their  intellectual  powers.  The  period  of 
time  from  the  flint  axe  to  that  of  bronze  must  be  ex- 
tremely long,  and  still  more  vast  that  which  stretches  into 
the  night  of  time  to  the  unarmed  hairy  savage — the  pri- 
meval man.  All  this  vast  duration  lies  far  below  the  base 
of  the  hoary  Pyramids,  which  of  themselves  are  scarcely 
of  historic  time,  reaching  back,  according  to  Lepsius's 
calculations,  to  within  one  hundred  and  twelve  years  of 
the  Creation,  according  to  received  chronology.* 

But  the  savages  of  the  Stone  Age  were  of  yesterday. 
They  represented %  a  degraded  civilization,  as  has  been 
admirably  though  unintentionally  shown  by  A.  K.  "Wal- 
lace, who,  in  his  survey  of  the  continuity  of  species,  rec- 
ognizing the  break  existing  between  these  savages  and  the 
highest  animals,  declared  that  the  theory  of  devel- 
opment advocated  by  him  and  the  great  Darwin  failed  to 
bridge  the  impassable  chasm.  He  fixed  the  origin  of 
man  at  too  recent  date,  and  seeing  that  there  was  not 
time  enough  to  effect  such  a  great  change,  he  rushed  to  the 
conclusion  that  other  causes  must  be  invoked.  He  found 
the  brain  of  this  early  savage  almost  as  large  as  that  of 
the  most  learned  philosopher,  and  the  skull  found  in  a 
cave  of  the  drift  had  a  cubic  contents  almost  equal  to 
the  average  of  modern  times.  The  savage  had  no  use 


*  For  the  facts  corroborating  these  statements,  see  the  works  of 
Lubbock,  Steenstrup,  Dr.  Keller,  Sir  Charles  Lyell,  and  the  lin- 
guistic researches  of  Miiller. 


146  THE    RELIGION   OF   MAN. 

for  such  a  brain.  His  cave  life  did  not  demand  more 
skill  or  cunning  than  the  bear  he  slew  or  the  dog  he 
domesticated.  No  argument  drawn  from  the  data  of 
evolution  can  account  for  vast  development  of  brain 
without  necessity  for  its  use.  Its  acquisition  demands 
ages  of  time  preceding  the  drift,  when  man,  pushed  to 
the  torrid  zone,  must  have  perished  in  those  regions 
where  he  had  reached  the  highest  development. 

In  the  favorable  conditions  of  the  tertiary,  man  must 
have  advanced  far  beyond  what  is  found  in  savage  life, 
to  a  civilization  calling  for  all  the  remarkable  develop- 
ment of  brain  found  in  the  drift  savage.  The  latter  is 
like  a  blacksmith,  who  cultivates  the  muscles  of  his  arm 
until  they  are  of  abnormal  size,  and  then  ceases  work. 
The  muscles  remain  without  anything  for  them  to  do, 
and  if  the  cause  was  unknown,  it  would  be  said  the  de- 
velopment was  an  unaccountable  freak.  Thus  the  drift 
savage,  inheritor  of  those  ages  of  advancement,  has  a 
brain  large  enough  for  the  requirements  of  a  complex 
civilized  state,  with  nothing  more  for  it  to  do  than 
thwart  the  cunning  of  the  wild  beasts  which  surround 
him. 

In  this  interminable  vista  opening  through  the  gla- 
ciers of  the  drift  into  the  luxuriant  grandeur  of  the 
Tertiary  Age,  centuries  become  as  moments,  and  a  thou- 
sand years  as  the  swing  of  a  pendulum. 

From  the  brutal  savage,  through  the  interminable 
duration  of  the  ages  of  Stone  and  Bronze,  man  advanced 
into  the  uncertain  light  of  tradition.  Constantly  de- 
veloping his  intellectual  powers,  he  slowly  and  steadily 
ascended  into  civilization.  Has  he  ever  fallen  ?  He  has 
been  too  low  to  fall.  Could  the  savage,  all  of  whose 
genius  was  comprised  in  the  art  of  breaking  a  stone  to  a 
sharp  edge  and  using  it  in  offence  or  defence,  fall  ? 


MAN'S  POSITION".  147 

He  could  not  well  be  more  savage.  But  when  we  pass 
from  the  Bronze  to  the  Iron  Age,  we  reach  the  dawn  of 
history,  which,  century  after  century,  records  the  ac- 
cumulation of  thought  in  unbroken  advancement. 

Ah  !  Garden  of  Eden,  state  of  blissful  perfection,  you 
are  myths — aspirations  of  the  human  heart  retro  verted 
into  the  past. 


vni. 

MAN'S    POSITION — FATE,    FREE-WILL,    FREE   AGENCY, 
NECESSITY,  RESPONSIBILITY. 

Morality  is  based  on  Anatomy  and  Physiology. 

An  individual  is  the  representative  of  all  the  conditions  by 
which  he  is  evolved. 

Fate  is  the  personification  of  the  constitution  of  things. 

MAN  is  surrounded  by  gigantic,  terrible  forces,  over 
which  he  has  no  control,  and  to  avert  which  his  efforts 
are  as  unavailing  as  those  of  the  brutes.  He  is  a  child 
of  the  elements,  an  atom  thrown  up  by  their  collision 
and  concentration  as  a  bubble  arises  on  a  stream  by  con- 
flicting currents.  He  is  more  :  he  is  a  bundle  of  ele- 
ments which  thus  united  become  a  centrestance,  from 
which  causes  emanate  as  from  the  elements  themselves. 

As  the  elements  from  which  he  springs  are  amenable 
to  unvarying  laws — the  irrevocable  mandate  of  fate — 
man,  as  the  result  of  their  union,  must  be  a  creature  of 
fate  or  unchanging  law.  The  anthropomorphic  view  of 
the  universe  at  once  dissolves.  The  elements  he  seeks  to 


148  THE    RELIGION    OF   MAJST. 

control  are  masters.     Man  is  a  slave,  chained,  under 
their  perpetual  surveillance. 

Is  this  a  truth?  Are  we  bound  to  this  Achillian  car, 
or  are  we  free  ?  Seemingly  we  are  free.  We  are  gods, 
willing  and  doing  in  perfect  freedom.  Ah  !  this  free- 
dom is  a  delusion — one  of  the  wiles  of  our  masters  to 
cheat  us  into  self-complacency.  Not  a  leaf  falls,  not  a 
hair  of  our  heads  whitens,  but  a  myriad  of  ages  ago  it 
was  written  in  the  Book  of  Fate.  Is  a  tree  overturned 
by  the  wind  ?  It  was  known  before  a  tree  existed,  and 
every  acorn  counted  by  the  recording  causes.  Every 
leaf,  every  insect  which  feeds  on  the  leaf,  every  drop  of 
rain,  of  dew,  every  flake  of  snow  which  has  or  will  fall 
on  those  leaves,  was  known  before  the  earth  was  evolved 
from  the  abnormal  ocean. 

The  human  being,  physically  and  mentally  matured, 
is  the  representative  of  every  law  and  condition  which 
has  ever  acted  on  him  or  his  progenitors,  ad  infinitum. 
In  him  they  are  not  only  individualized,  they  are  cen- 
trestantialized.  He  exists  because  of  their  action  ;  he  is 
as  they  have  made  him.  In  this  sense  man  is  a  creature 
of  circumstances.  So  far  as  these  forces  and  conditions 
acted  previous  to  his  birth  he  is  not  a  free  agent,  nor  is 
he  in  his  relation  to  the  fixed  action  of  the  great  forces 
of  Nature.  But  on  the  circumstances  which  surround 
his  maturity  he  acts  by  virtue  of  his  inherent  selfhood, 
the  resultant  of  all  previous  conditions  which  make  up 
that  selfhood.  In  this  view  he  may  be  considered  free  ; 
for  what  we  call  a  man  is  nothing  more  nor  less  than 
the  aggregate  of  forces  and  conditions,  many  of  which 
we  understand,  and  many  of  which  we  do  not  under- 
stand. He  is  free,  just  as  his  organization,  representa- 
tive of  all  previous  conditions  and  forces,  will  allow. 
This  freedom  is  quite  distinct  from  the  dogmatical  tenet 


MAX'S  POSITION.  149 

of  free  agency,  inasmuch  as  it  regards  man's  existence 
as  an  effect  becoming  a  cause,  and  not  a  self-existent 
cause. 

Difference  in  the  primordial  or  pre-natal  conditions 
has  greater  influence  than  those  which  environ  us  after 
birth.  These  are  integral  parts  of  our  being.  The 
difference  in  these  conditions  makes  the  individuality  of 
mankind.  Were  they  the  same,  all  men  would  be 
identically  the  same.  The  permutation  of  an  infinite 
series  of  causes  never  repeats  a  number  hi  the  series. 
Hence  one  man  is  no  more  to  blame  for  being  unlike 
another  than  the  oak  is  to  blame  for  being  different  from 
the  pine,  or  the  leopard  for  being  unlike  the  antelope  on 
which  it  preys. 

Character  found  in  oak,  pine,  leopard,  or  man,  alike 
is  the  expression  of  conditions  pre-natal  and  environing. 
As  the  acorn  treasures  all  the  forces  which  have  develop- 
ed it  into  a  germ  capable  of  producing  an  oak,  so  the 
child  is  a  treasure  of  forces  which  will  develop  a  man, 
and  such  a  man  as  this  treasury  compels.  There  is  an- 
other aspect  to  this  subject.  The  acorn,  germinating 
in  a  barren  soil,  strives  according  to  the  impulse  of  the 
forces  by  virtue  of  which  it  is  an  acorn  to  perfect  an 
oak  ;  but  hard  as  it  may  strive  to  gather  sustenance 
from  the  crevices  of  the  rocks,  its  knotty  roots  can  sup- 
port little  more  than  a  gnarled  and  blighted  stem  bear- 
ing dwarfish  branches.  What  should  have  been  a  tree, 
lofty  and  gigantic,  is  blighted  into  a  pitiful  shrub. 

The  same  acorn,  if  allowed  to  germinate  in  a  fertile 
soil,  watered  by  the  showers,  refreshed  by  dew  and  sun- 
shine, with  every  condition  save  the  one  the  same,  strikes 
deep  roots  down  into  the  earth,  and  on  them  towers  a 
column-like  stem  supporting  a  forest  of  branches.  So 
the  child  constantly  suffering  the  pangs  of  want  is 


150  THE    KELIGION    OF   MAN. 

dwarfed  and  distorted,  not  only  physically,  but  to  the 
centre  of  its  spiritual  nature.  The  same  child  surround- 
ed by  ennobling  influences  might  astonish  the  world 
with  its  genius.  Circumstances  make  the  Alexanders, 
the  Napoleons,  Platos,  Ciceros,  the  warriors  and  sages  of 
the  world,  but  they  can  do  nothing  without  a  pre-exist- 
ing individuality  organized  in  harmony  with  their  re- 
quirements. 

It  was  not  my  choice  whether  born  a  serf  in  Russia,  a 
slave  in  the  swamps  of  Carolina,  or  as  I  am.  Had  I 
been  born  a  serf,  so  far  from  thinking  of  fate,  I  should 
have  a  brute  instinct  for  my  native  cot,  and  consider 
my  horizon  the  limits  of  the  world.  So  of  all  conditions 
in  which  a  human  being  may  be  placed  ;  they  are  ever 
plastic  to  the  influences  of  their  environment.  Ah  !  then 
•what  becomes  of  poor  human  accountability  ?  If  we 
are  thus  creatures  of  fate,  we  may  make  no  endeavor  of 
our  own,  but,  like  listless  Turks,  sit'  still  and  let  the 
world  move.  This  is  not  a  necessary  sequence  to  the 
doctrine  of  necessity.  Although  Nature  teaches  a  clear 
lesson,  it  is  not  sufficiently  clear  that  "  those  who  run 
can  read"  rightly.  True,  an  individual  may  become 
so  imbued  with  the  idea  of  fate  as  to  consider  exertion 
on  his  part  unnecessary,  and  remain  perfectly  passive. 
The  idea  becomes  with  him  the  moving  cause.  This, 
however,  is  a  partial  view  of  the  subject,  leaving  out  en- 
tirely the  influence  of  individual  exertion.  Man  is  a 
centrestance  as  well  as  a  circumstance.  The  forces  con- 
centrated in  him  react  on  surrounding  conditions.  The 
philosopher,  for  instance,  is  born  with  the  capabilities 
of  becoming  a  philosopher  :  he  is  as  ignorant  at  first  as 
the  slave-child.  In  actual  acquisition  both  children  are 
alike  ;  but  one  child  has  the  desire  for  and  capacity  to 
receive  knowledge — the  other  has  not.  The  desire  may 


MAN'S  POSITION.  151 

be  strong,  yet  obstacles  oppose  with  stronger  force,  and 
the  "  mute,  inglorious  "  Newtons  fail  to  rise  above  the 
common  level.  Knowledge  is  an  efficient  circumstance 
of  Fate,  and  furnishes  the  strongest  incentive  for  ex- 
ertion. 

This  question  includes  the  entire  doctrine  of  good  and 
evil,  and  the  measure  of  man's  responsibility. 

If  we  acknowledge — and  it  is  unavoidable — the  neces- 
sity for  all  that  has  been,  is,  and  will  be,  we  cannot  stray 
far  from  a  knowledge  of  the  true  position.  If,  on  the 
contrary,  we  consider  ourselves  free  and  independent 
agents,  with  such  an  erroneous  guide  we  cannot  avoid 
going  astray.  Bound  hand  and  foot  by  the  gigantic 
forces  of  Nature,  turn  which  way  we  will  there  is  no 
outlet.  Yet,  are  we  not  footballs,  impelled  hither  and 
thither  as  this  or  that  force  predominates  ?  The  ball  is 
a  passive  instrument,  a  mass  of  matter  opposing  only 
the  resistance  of  gravity.  Man  is  a  football  for  the  play 
of  the  elements,  but  he,  by  the  concentration  of  circum- 
stances, becomes  more  than  a  circumstance,  and  there- 
fore reacts  on  the  elemental  blows. 

Our  existence  is  the  resultant  of  forces  and  events 
reaching  back  to  the  dawn  of  time.  These  events  are 
evolved  in  us — are  united  and  individualized.  Hence 
we  are  not  inactive  footballs.  The  elements  strike  at 
us  ;  we  parry  the  blow  or  bend  it  to  our  purpose. 

Here  lies  the  deception.  We  rush  abroad  in  wild  free- 
dom, doing  as  we  please  ;  so  we  flatter  ourselves.  He 
is  insane  who  doubts  our  free  agency.  Our  ships  out- 
ride contending  billows  ;  the  winds  are  our  slaves  ;  fire, 
fierce  and  insatiate,  our  vassal  ;  and  the  red  lightnings 
of  the  storm  are  grasped  in  the  giant  hand  of  man. 
Such  is  our  vaunt.  Is  it  true  ?  Very  true,  but  not  all 
the  truth.  I  draw  no  circle  prescribing  the  capacity  of 


152  THE    RELIGIOX    OF    MAN. 

the  human  mind.  It  is  incomprehensible  ;  its  domin- 
ion is  wide,  and  day  by  day  extending  from  its  pulsating 
centre  ;  yet  how  small  the  area  it  has  conquered  to  the 
vast  unknown  which  environs  it  !  How  weak  its  power 
of  resistance  to  the  resistance  it  meets  !  Like  a  man 
beneath  an  avalanche,  it  can  assert  its  might,  but  the 
avalanche  crushes  onward.  Man  may  roll  a  stone,  but 
the  mountain  never.  The  stone  which  he  can  turn  and 
the  cloud-capped  mountain  hold  like  comparison,  as  the 
realm — wherein,  by  virtue  of  his  centrestantial  quali- 
ties, he  is  free — holds  to  the  surround  ing  province  which 
rules  him  adamantinely. 

In  this  small  realm,  wherein  we  are  apparently  free, 
lies  the  fallacy  of  our  free  agency.  Here,  too,  originated 
the  primitive  conception  of  our  responsibility  for  our 
actions.  This  we  know  :  free  or  not,  we  are  held  re- 
sponsible. Whether  we  act  from  choice  or  direct  com- 
pulsion, knowingly  or  unknowingly,  we  bear  the  conse- 
quences. Is  this  doubted  ? 

Take  an  individual  at  random  from  the  mass.  He  is 
as  he  is  not  from  his  own  choice.  He  is  the  culmina- 
tion of  a  line  of  progenitors,  of  the  infinite  number  of 
conditions  in  which  it  is  possible  for  him  to  be  placed. 
Let  us  take  extremes — one  very  good,  one  very  bad. 
Born  with  an  inharmonious  organization,  possessing  de- 
praved passions  and  insatiate  lusts  cultivated  by  his  an- 
cestors and  poured  down  to  him  in  a  corrupting  sewer 
of  slimy  filth,  he  matures,  not  into  manhood,  but  into  a 
beast.  All  the  noble  qualities  of  his  mind  are  crushed 
and  blighted,  and  he  lives  only  for  sensual  pleasures. 
A  born  robber  or  murderer,  he  has  all  the  ferocity  and 
cunning  of  the  wild  beast.  Miscreated  are  such  :  cast 
into  the  world  like  rude,  half-finished  pottery.  As  much 
to  blame  the  wind  for  blowing,  as  much  sinful  the  tiger 


MAN'S  POSITION.  153 

devouring  the  kid,  as  they.  Yet  Nature  holds  them  to 
account,  and  compels  rendition  of  the  last  farthing.  As 
inexorable  as  the  artificial  law  which  gibbets  the  felon, 
she  hangs  the  offender  in  the  scorching  deserts  of  pas- 
sion, there  to  await  until  appetite  has  consumed  itself 
by  its  own  fires. 

The  harmoniously  born,  inheriting  from  noble  ances- 
tors all  the  qualities  the  heart  cherishes,  mature  to  man- 
hood, and  live  to  perform  works  of  goodness.  Blessings 
fall  on  such  and  are  received,  that  thereby  better  work 
may  be  accomplished  and  still  greater  blessings  fall. 

It  is  glorious  to  be  rightly  born  ;  terrible  to  be  other- 
wise, and  held  to  the  rack  for  the  faults  of  others.  Yet 
the  greater  part  of  man's  transgressions  are  ancestral. 
Circumstances  over  which  he  has  as  little  control  as  over 
his  unconsulted  birth  force  him  in  new  directions. 
Born  in  a  den  of  vice  and  infamy,  the  individual  may, 
by  inherent  qualities  or  central  impetus,  burst  the  re- 
straints of  villainy,  and  burn  a  pure  star  of  light  over  a 
sea  of  corruption.  If  deficient  in  these  qualities,  then 
the  inner  fires  and  the  external  burn  in  unison,  and  the 
lowest  Stygian  depths  of  perversion  or  depravity  are 
reached.  Surroundings  may  correct  a  disordered  or- 
ganization. Fate  casts  us  into  the  world,  caring  not 
whether  we  awake  in  a  palace  or  a  manger,  with  a  sil- 
ver spoon  or  a  wooden  platter,  or  without  platter  or 
provender  at  all.  Stern,  inexorable  mother,  she  forces 
existence  upon  us,  aad  then  rings  the  terrible  mandate 
in  our  ears,  "  You  can  suffer  ;  you  can  enjoy  ;  you 
cannot  die — work." 

We  are  from  our  germinal  beginning  strained  to  this 
rack  of  iron,  and  throughout  our  existence  force  rules 
the  empire  thus  early  usurped.  Forced  into  this  life 
and  forced  into  another,  of  the  limited  space  between 


154  THE    KELIGION    OF   MAX. 

these  events  how  little  our  control  !  We  cannot  com- 
mand our  senses,  or  prevent  the  brain  from  receiving  the 
impressions  which  they  convey. 

Man's  distribution  on  the  globe  holds  him  under  check 
of  iron  law.  The  Southern  Hemisphere  and  the  North 
Torrid  Zone,  or  the  whole  globe  south  of  the  Tropic  of 
Cancer,  has  yielded  no  grand  civilization,  neither  has 
the  Arctic  Circle.  A  narrow  belt  of  country  along  the 
Mediterranean  Sea,  across  Europe,  and  extending  into 
the  same  latitudes  of  North  America,  is  the  whole  area 
of  history.  Man  outside  of  this  little  blot  on  the  map 
of  the  earth  has  done  nothing  worthy  of  record.  Why, 
unless  mentality  is  amenable  to  physical  laws  ?  And 
here  we  approach  the  gulf  said  to  separate  the  moral 
from  the  physical  man.  A  careful  study  will  show  that 
no  such  gulf  exists.  Physical  conditions  affect  morality 
and  intellect  in  the  measure  they  do  the  body.  The 
heat  of  the  torrid  enervates  ;  the  cold  of  the  frigid  pro- 
duces torpidity.  The  two  extremes  are  equalized  in  the 
temperate.  Man,  having  acquired  the  control  of  forces, 
supplying  himself  with  light  and  heat,  breaks  the  fetters 
with  which  Nature  binds  him.  Being  enabled  to  carry 
the  heat  and  light  of  the  sun  with  him  by  means  of  his 
knowledge  of  fire,  he  penetrates  the  frozen  North.  He 
invents  clothing  and  dwellings,  devoting  almost  his  en- 
tire energies  in  overcoming  the  antagonism  of  surround- 
ing Nature.  If  he  has  free-will,  it  is  in  this  combat ; 
but  even  here  he  engages  in  the  same  manner  as  animals 
do,  there  being  only  a  difference  in  degree.  He  is  as 
irresistibly  impelled  as  they  by  motives  which  originate  in 
his  environment  or  that  of  his  ancestors.  Man  realizes 
the  feasibility  of  a  dam  across  a  river,  and  constructs  it. 
He  is  actuated  by  motives  of  advantage  ;  so  is  the 
beaver.  There  is  this  difference  :  shut  the  beaver  in  a 


MAN'S  POSITION.  155 

room,  and  it  will  construct  a  dam  across  one  corner  out 
of  whatever  material  it  can  find  ;  man  must  realize  the 
advantage  to  be  gained  by  so  doing.  The  beaver  is  im- 
pelled by  blind  desire  inherited  from  progenitors  ;  man, 
by  equally  blind  thirst  for  property  and  power,  also  in- 
herited from  ancestors. 

Nationalities  are  moulded  by  their  geography,  and  it 
is  not  left  to  individual  choice  to  select  race  or  locality. 
No  choice  of  Lapp  or  Finn  that  they  were  driven  to  the 
most  inhospitable  climate  of  Europe,  and  have  become 
degraded  by  their  stern  surroundings  ;  no  fault  of  the 
Irish  that  by  oppression  they  have  sunk  from  the  rank 
of  a  leading  Celtic  people  to  such  wretchedness  ;  or  of 
the  Eed  Indians  that  they  melt  away  before  a  more  civ- 
ilized race.  "  Scientific  physiology  has  no  better  ascer- 
tained fact  than  that  man  possesses  no  innate  resistance 
to  change.  The  moment  he  leaves  his  accustomed  place 
of  abode  to  encounter  new  physical  conditions  and  al- 
tered modes  of  life,  that  moment  his  structure  com- 
mences slowly  to  change." 

Any  system  of  reasoning  which  severs  the  constitution 
of  man,  placing  the  dismembered  parts  under  the  con- 
trol of  separate  systems  of  government,  is  fundamen- 
tally false.  Man,  physically,  intellectually,  and  morally, 
is  an  indivisible  unit,  and  to  be  understood  correctly 
must  be  studied  as  such. 

From  a  thousand  grand  paternal  sources  the  streams 
of  our  being  flow  and  blend.  We  sleep  when  drowsy  ; 
we  eat  when  hungry  ;  we  drink  when  thirsty.  For  a 
moment  we  may  will  contrary  to  the  desire,  but  the 
next  moment  the  will  is  paralyzed,  and  the  desire  be- 
comes paramount  to  everything  else.  Will  against  sleep 
closing  the  eyelids,  the  gnawings  of  hunger,  the  burn- 
ings of  thirst  ?  Pretty  free  agents  are  we  ! 


150  THE   RELIGION    OF    MAN. 

So  far  Destiny  is  supremo.  We  die.  Can  we  control 
the  event?  The  suicide  is  the  tool  of  motives.  Thales 
said  life  and  death  were  the  samo  ;  and  when  asked  why, 
then,  he  did  not  kill  himself,  he  replied  that,  as  living 
and  dying  were  the  same,  he  had  no  motive  for  so  doing. 
Does  fever  burn  us  in  its  furnace,  consumption  prey  on 
our  vitals,  or  miasm  rankle  in  our  veins — can  we  will 
them  away  ?  We  may  acquire  a  knowledge  of  their  laws, 
and  avert  their  penalties. 

"  The  only  way  to  govern  Nature  is  to  obey  her  laws. " 
The  forces  of  the  external  world  move  in  certain  chan- 
nels, in  which,  if  we  are  placed,  we  are  certainly  and 
directly  impelled,  but  we  must  not  cross  the  lines.  As 
soon  as  we  depart  a  hair's-breadth,  we  meet  the  rude 
buffet  of  the  elements.  We  are  bound  to  this  rack  of 
existence  until  death.  Until  death  ?  We  cannot  die. 
The  soul,  like  the  elements  which  gave  it  birth,  is  im- 
mortal. 

We  readily  admit  that  the  elements  and  the  vegetable 
and  animal  worlds  are  impelled  by  these  masters  with 
definite  and  undeviating  certainty  ;  but  we  hesitate  to 
admit  that  we,  with  our  apparently  independent  will, 
are  thus  controlled.  In  a  moment  of  egotism  we  ask  : 
"  Are  we  not  capable  of  doing  as  we  please,  and  are  we 
not  responsible  for  the  consequences  ?  Are  we  not.  like 
the  gods,  capable  of  willing  and  doing?  Have  we  not 
vast  and  unavoidable  responsibilities?"  Pleasing  ques- 
tions to  vanity  are  these,  but  they  apply  to  the  grass- 
hopper as  well  as  the  man. 

We  arrive  at  moral  considerations.  Is  there  a  prov- 
ince here  outside  of  and  unamenable  to  law  ?  Shall  we 
apply  law  everywhere  else,  and  leave  this  province  to 
the  wild  caprice  of  the  individual  ?  The  statistics  of  the 
world  show  the  unflinching  supremacy  of  order  here  as 


MAN'S  POSITION.  157 

elsewhere.  The  number  and  atrocity  of  crimes  vary  with 
the  season,  and  the  age  of  the  criminals,  with  mathe- 
matical certainty.  The  seeming  irregularity  of  individ- 
ual phenomena  confuses  the  superficial  gaze.  We  can- 
not say  of  an  individual  that  he  will  commit  a  crime,  but 
we  know  that  of  a  certain  number  of  individuals  one  each 
year  will  commit  a  given  crime  ;  for,  extended  over  a 
sufficient  length  of  time,  the  force  impelling  to  crime  is 
an  invariable  quantity. 

Even  the  mistakes  of  men  are  controlled  by  laws  dimly 
seen  in  gathered  statistics. 

To  the  grand  sum  of  Nature  our  individualities  are 
nothing.  To  obtain  the  truth  we  must  look  to  the 
eternal  and  not  to  the  evanescent  flashes  of  the  hour. 
Human  pleasures,  passions,  wants,  emotions,  are  fleeting 
expressions,  and  valueless  except  as  they  direct  us  to  the 
constant,  the  inexorable  law. 

Of  the  brute  we  expect  brute  actions.  What  shall  we 
expect  of  the  man  with  the  organization  of  the  brute  ? 
We  cannot  avoid  the  conclusion  that,  whatever  be  the 
relations  of  spirit  and  brain,  the  manifestations  of  mind 
are  dependent  on  organization.  Anatomists  have  re- 
marked the  approach  of  the  idiotic  brain  to  that  of  the 
lower  animals.  The  brains  of  savage  peoples — Indians, 
negroes,  etc. — approach  those  of  the  Caucasian  infants. 
These  facts  point  unerringly  to  the  supremacy  of  law  in 
the  moral  and  intellectual  worlds.  We  are  accountable, 
but  not  in  the  manner  we  are  to  artificial  laws.  We  are 
accountable  to  laws  which  form  an  integral  part  of  oar 
constitution,  and  to  none  other.  We  cannot  move  in 
channels  other  than  those  marked  out  by  the  laws  of 
our  nature  without  pain. 

By  the  progressive  unfoldment  of  intellect  we  are  re- 
moved above  the  realm  of  brutal  desires. 


158  THE    RELIGION    OF    MAX. 


IX. 


DUTIES   AND    OBLIGATIONS    OF    MAN     TO     GOD     AND    TO 
HIMSELF. 

I  am  satisfied  that  Cambyses  was  deprived  of  his  reason  ;  he 
would  not  otherwise  have  disturbed  the  sanctity  of  the  temples 
or  of  established  customs. — HERODOTUS. 

THEOLOGY  claims  certain  duties  which  man  owes  to 
God.  The  requirements  made  at  different  times  have 
been  extremely  variable  and  almost  endless.  In  the  early 
and  savage  age,  man  fancied  God  to  be  like  himself,  only 
more  savage  and  demoniac.  His  anger  was  to  be  ap- 
peased, not  his  goodness  trusted.  The  best  of  the  har- 
vest and  of  the  flock  was  set  apart  for  him.  The  smoke 
of  incense  arose  from  his  altars,  and  the  blood  of  slaugh- 
tered victims — too  often  human — stained  his  shrine.  By 
this  method  these  child- men  believed  they  best  pleased 
their  child-God.  After  a  time  the  sacrifice  is  found  to 
become  more  personal  and  of  higher  tone.  Whatever  is 
held  dear  is  yielded  to  the  selfishness  of  God.  The 
world  becomes  a  serpent's  den  of  temptation.  God  de- 
mands everything,  and  everything  must  be  yielded  up  to 
him.  He  created  man  for  his  sole  pleasure  and  profit, 
and  it  is  man's  duty  to  obey.  If  he  knew  the  law — as 
recorded  and  interpreted  by  the  priest — was  God's  law, 
things  would  be  different.  Always  the  priest  must  stand 
between  us  and  God.  We  must  drink  the  water  as  it 
percolates  through  finite  channels,  often  reeking  with 
corruption. 

The  priests  have  said,  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord,"  and 
men  have  run  gladly  to  death.  However  united  they 


DUTIES   AND    OBLIGATIONS   OF    MAN.  159 

have  been  in  crushing  mankind  in  ignorance,  they  have 
been  inconsistent  in  their  interpretation  of  God's  de- 
mands. They  require  of  the  Catholic,  fasts,  feasts,  and 
holy  days  innumerable  ;  of  the  Puritan,  rest  on  Sun- 
day ;  of  the  Jew,  rest  on  Saturday,  and  circumcision  ; 
of  the  Moslejii,  pilgrimages  to  Mecca  ;  of  the  Hindoo 
widow,  the  burning  of  herself  on  her  husband's  funeral 
pyre  ;  of  the  devotee,  to  plunge  into  the  holy  Ganges  ; 
of  the  South  Sea  islander,  to  knock  out  a  front  tooth  or 
cut  off  a  finger  ;  of  a  modern  Christian,  to  build  churches 
and  make  prayers  at  stated  seasons. 

To  review  the  various  opinions  of  the  different  peoples 
of  the  world — to  see  the  craft  and  cunning,  the  villainy 
and  arrogance  of  the  priesthood,  and  the  ignorance  and 
folly  of  the  masses,  presents  a  sickening  picture,  from 
which  we  turn  with  disgust.  If  God  has  made  any  reve- 
lation of  his  will  regarding  the  duties  man  owes  to  him, 
he  has  made  it  in  such  a  manner  that  there  can  be  no 
mistake,  nor  need  of  any  class  of  men  to  act  as  inter- 
preters. 

God  knows  what  man  wants  quite  as  well  as  the 
priests,  however  trained  and  cunning  they  may  be. 
With  astonishing  audacity  they  place  themselves  be- 
tween God  and  man  to  make  plain  what  he  had  not 
power  to  render  intelligible.  God's  laws  need  no  special 
interpretation,  but  are  as  far-reaching  as  space,  and  ubiq- 
uitous in  their  operation.  If  he  makes  demands,  the 
mortal  need  not  fear  the  demand  will  be  unsatisfied.  We 
can  do  nothing  for  God.  As  finite  beings,  the  sum  of 
all  our  efforts  would  count  as  nought  to  the  Infinite. 
Ten  thousand  roasting  lambs  or  ten  thousand  crucified 
Christs  are  all  the  same  to  him.  He  must  from  his 
very  nature  remain  the  same — impassive  and  immovable. 
Our  duty  performed  or  neglected  only  affects  ourselves. 


ItiO  THE    RELIGION   OF    MAN. 

We  can  dash  ourselves  to  pieces  against  a  mountain,  but 
the  mountain  remains  unmoved. 

Let  us  at  once  free  ourselves  from  the  old  idea  that 
God  directly  interests  himself  in  mortal  affairs,  and  can 
be  reached  by  prayer.  A  verbal  prayer  may  seem  to  re- 
fresh the  heart,  but  goes  no  further.  God  will  not  turn 
aside  though  the  whole  world  cry  "  Turn."  The  sup- 
position that  he  will  is  a  superstition  descended  from 
Fetish- worshipping  savages.  We  come  in  direct  contact 
with  laws  unswerving  and  adamantine.  They  prescribe 
our  duty,  which  is  implicit  obedience.  All  outside  and 
extraneous  observances  are  absolute  folly.  When  the 
law  has  been  complied  with,  duty  has  been  done.  No 
fasting,  prayer,  or  Sunday  sermon  is  required. 

Duty  to  God,  in  the  sense  taught  by  the  priesthood, 
is  meaningless,  except  as  it  gives  them  an  interpreter's 
position  and  pay.  Ceremonies,  observances,  and  customs 
made  and  kept  because  God  is  supposed  to  demand  them 
are  worse  than  follies — they  are  infantile  stupidities.^/ 

Duty  !  In  that  one  name  more  crime  has  been  com- 
mitted, more  misery  created,  than  in  any  other.  All 
the  persecutions  of  the  world  have  been  carried  forward 
to  compel  man  to  obey  God.  Jesus  was  nailed  to  the 
cross  that  the  Jews  might  not  fail  in  their  time-honored 
temple-worship  ;  and  the  petty  churches  of  to-day 
wrangle  and  would  crucify  each  other  remorselessly  for 
rejection  of  their  peculiar  views.  Little  cares  the  Infi- 
nite whether  a  mortal  is  sprinkled  in  the  face,  plunged 
in  the  water,  or  neither  sprinkled  nor  plunged  ;  whether 
he  works  on  Saturday  or  Sunday  ;  whether  he  circum- 
cises, knocks  out  a  tooth,  cuts  off  a  finger,  or  says  grace. 

Obedience  to  God  can  only  mean  observance  of  the  laws 
of  our  being.  The  only  duty  we  owe  is  such  obedience  ; 
and  it  is  time  we  cast  aside  the  trappings,  the  ceremo- 


DUTIES   AND    OBLIGATIONS    OF    MAN.  1G1 

nies,  and  observances  which  mislead  and  divert.  Here 
we  cannot  mistake  our  duty.  We  stand  face  to  face  with 
these  laws,  and  need  no  priest  between  them  and  us.  If 
we  obey,  we  at  once  reap  the  reward  ;  if  we  fail,  we  at 
once  incur  the  penalty.  If  in  our  extremity  our  lips 
utter  a  prayer,  it  is  from  habit  acquired  in  childish 
days,  which  we  know  to  be  as  valueless  to  help  us  as  the 
breath  which  gives  it  sound.  Our  obligations  to  God 
are  not  prayer  or  praise,  but  the  fulfilling  of  the  laws 
which  created  and  sustain  us.  / 

By  such  conduct  shall  we  please  him  ?  The  Christian 
world  answers,  "  No.  God  is  pleased  with  lofty  spires 
grandly  towering  above  a  vain  and  thoughtless  world, 
with  regular  attendance  at  church,  long  prayers,  and 
sanctimonious  face.  He  wishes  man  to  do  everything 
for  his  glory  and  love  of  Christ,  and  he  bestows  salva- 
tion, not  because  deserved,  but  as  a  special  favor."  In 
olden  times  he  was  pleased  with  the  fattened  calf,  the 
firstlings  of  the  flock,  and  the  fragrance  of  smoking 
blood  and  roasting  offal. 

/  The  priesthood  assume  to  be  the  only  interpreters  of 
God's  will,  which  cannot  be  written,  and  can  only  be 
learned  by  contact  with  Nature.  His  will  is  expressed 
by  the  term  Law,  and  is  co-eternal  with  matter.  There 
can  be  no  law  foreign  and  un wrought  into  the  constitu- 
tion of  the  world,  nor  can  man  be  held  amenable  to  laws 
which  are  not  a  part  and  portion  of  himself.  Obedience 
is  from  necessity,  and  not  for  the  "  glory  of  God."  Is 
this  church  God  an  Asiatic  monarch  so  jealous  that  we 
must  bow  before  his  throne  servilely  to  gain  his  ap- 
proval ?  A  God  making  such  a  botch  of  creation  that 
we,  his  misbegotten,  abortive  creations,  creep  to  his  feet 
to  ask  his  pardon  for  his  having  thus  shammed  us,  of  all 
others  is  the  most  loathsome. 


162  THE    EELIGIOX   OF    MAN. 

"  No,"  cries  the  soul,  "  you  please  not  God  by  long 
prayers  or  ghastly  faces,  sepulchral  tones,  or  sermons 
beneath  lofty  steeples.  The  Inflnite  breathes  through 
all  Nature,  and  obedience  to  his  will  is  our  ultimate 
necessity.  The  world  is  beautiful,  and  man  walks 
therein  a  beautiful  spirit.  God  is  not  pleased  to  have 
that  spirit  become  a  blear-eyed  bigot,  or  this  beautiful 
world  viewed  through  the  muddy  waters  of  Fanaticism 
stirred  by  the  craft  and  arrogance  of  a  self-nominated 
priesthood.  He  is  pleased  with  a  well-ordered  life." 

While  it  is  claimed  that  religion  necessarily  embraces 
morality,  morality  by  no  means  embraces  dogmatic  re- 
ligion. A  man  may  clearly  observe  the  distinction  be- 
tween right  and  wrong,  walk  uprightly,  deal  honestly, 
act  benevolently,  and  have  an  unblemished  moral  char- 
acter ;  but  if  all  this  does  not  result  from  a  sense  of  love 
and  dependence  on  God,  he  is  not  religious.  Doing 
right  because  right,  and  avoiding  wrong  because  wrong, 
is  not  sufficient.  The  action  must  be  based  on  love  and 
dependence  on  God.  If  man  possessed  an  absolute  and 
complete  revelation  from  God  for  his  guidance  there 
would  be  no  reason  for  disobeying  or  question  of  de- 
pendence ;  but,  unfortunately,  the  Bible,  as  interpreted 
by  the  thousand  wrangling  sects  it  has  originated,  fur- 
nishes no  such  criterion  ;  and  Nature  makes  no  revela- 
tion except  as  yielded  by  closest  research  and  patient 
investigation. 

Having  discovered  such  laws,  it  may  be  asked  whether 
man  should  obey  them  because  such  is  the  constitution 
of  things,  or  because  of  his  dependence  on  God.  If 
from  the  first  cause,  he  is  only  moral  ;  if  from  the  lat- 
ter, he  is  religious.  Here  is  an  entirely  artificial  dis- 
tinction. Does  God  demand  servile  dependence  ?  If 
so,  is  it  not  strange  that  only  a  privileged  class  have 


DUTIES    AND    OBLIGATIONS    OF    MAX.  163 

learned  this  lesson  ?  They,  never  having  come  in  con- 
tact with  God,  assume  to  tell  what  he  demands,  what 
will  please  and  what  displease  him,  and  the  form  of  re- 
ligion he  prescribes.  If  God  has  made  a  revelation,  it 
is  in  harmony  with  the  laws  of  the  world.  They,  as 
expressions  of  his  unchanging  purpose,  are  finalities. 
What  more  can  be  required  than  obedience  to  them  ?y 

We  come  in  contact  with  fire,  and  are  burned. 
Henceforth,  understanding  its  nature,  we  avoid  it. 
Shall  we  do  so  to  please  God,  or  because  of  our  own 
preservation  ?  Shall  we  do  right  for  God's  sake  or  our 
own — for  Christ's  sake  or  for  humanity's  ? 

Through  trial  and  suffering  we  gain  an  understanding 
of  our  physical,  intellectual,  and  moral  relations.  If  a 
human  father  should  write  a  code  for  the  guidance  of 
his  children,  would  he  not  be  better  pleased  if  obedience 
were  given  because  they  considered  it  right  to  do  so,  than 
because  it  was  his  will,  to  which  they  servilely  yielded  ? 
But,  it  is  said  in  reply,  "  God's  ways  are  not  man's 
ways."  Why,  then,  attempt  to  reason  about  our  rela- 
tions to  him?  Unless  God's  reason  is  like  our  reason 
we  can  know  nothing  about  his  demands.  The  human 
father  would  say,  "  My  children,  there  is  no  honor  in 
servile  obedience.  I  am  not  to  be  considered.  Do  right 
because  it  is  right,  and  you  will  please  me  more  than  by 
the  most  slavish  submission  simply  because  it  is  your 
father's  will." 

Has  God  more  self-consciousness  and  vanity  than 
man  ?  Can  he  be  nattered  by  the  "  sense  of  depen- 
dence" of  man  ? 

The  value  of  this  "  sense  of  dependence"  and  the 
true  position  of  the"  religious  element  inherent  in  man" 
have  been  shown  to  be  as  vaning  as  the  geographical 
locality  or  color  of  the  race.  Salvation  is  not  a  gift  be- 


164  THE    RELIGION    OF    MAN. 

stowed  out  of  favor.  If  we  do  right,  we  earn  and  com- 
mand it. 

Shall  we  live  for  the  glory  of  God  ?  Nay,  for  our  own. 
The  Infinite  cannot  be  glorified. 

If  the  order  of  Nature  is  unchangeable,  of  what  avail 
is  prayer  ?  Apollonius,  who  was  not  enlightened  by 
the  mysteries  of  Christian  revelation,  truthfully  said  of 
prayer,  "  A  man  may  worship  the  Deity  far  more  truly 
than  other  mortals,  though  he  neither  sacrifice  animals 
nor  consecrate  any  outward  thing  to  that  God  whom 
we  call  the  First.  .  .  .  Pure  spirit,  the  most  beautiful 
portion  of  our  being,  has  no  need  of  external  organs  to 
make  itself  understood  by  the  Omnipresent  Essence." 
Porphyry  says  of  prayer,  "  It  produces  a  sort  of  union 
between  the  gods  and  the  just,  who  resemble  them." 
Prayer — the  earnest  desire  of  the  heart — the  prophecy 
of  possibilities — is  quite  different  from  the  spoken  ver- 
biage which  a  parrot  may  learn  as  well.  The  child,  too 
young  to  understand  the  meaning  of  words,  is  taught 
that  there  is  efficacy  in  a  little  prayer  lisped  on  retiring. 
What  does  it  know  of  the  Infinite  ?  Is  there  not  a  strik- 
ing similarity  between  the  situation  of  the  child  lisping 
a  prayer  it  does  not  comprehend — addressed  to  a  Being 
it  does  not  know — and  the  grave  deacon  repeating  in 
church-meeting  a  memorized  formula  for  the  thousandth 
time,  praising  the  forbearance  of  that  unknown  Being, 
and  demeaning  his  sinful  self?  How  far  removed  is 
the  pompons  preacher  reciting  his  well  learned  lesson 
beseeching  God's  mercy  by  rote  ?  They  all  think  they 
are  doing  what  is  best  for  them — what  their  religious 
education  requires  ;  and  are  equally  self-satisfied  as  the 
Red  Indian  who  prays  to  his  Totem,  or  the  Chinese 
bowing  to  his  Joss-stick.  In  some  countries  written 
prayers  are  attached  to  a  wheel  turned  by  water  power, 


DUTIES   AND    OBLIGATIONS   OF    MAN.  165 

and  every  minute  of  the  day  a  prayer  is  presented  to 
the  sky.  Who  can  say  that  the  praying  wheel  is  not  as 
efficacious  as  the  praying  parson  ?  The  requirements 
of  prejudice  are  fulfilled  by  their  several  methods.  Some 
striving  soul  may  have  found  relief  in  formulated  prayer, 
and  thus  it  came  into  general  use.  Some  may  yet  find 
in  it  relief.  It  has  become  a  part  of  religion.  Family 
service  is  as  essential  as  church-going,  and  is  the  means 
whereby  the  theological  crust  is  formed  around  the  young 
mind,  in  after  years  to  harden  and  press  out  its  spirit- 
ual energies. 

We  change  nothing  by  prayer  but  ourselves.  We  can- 
not in  the  least  affect  external  Nature.  If  a  ship  were 
freighted  with  a  thousand  saints,  their  united  prayers 
would  not  keep  her  afloat  if  there  was  a  plank  torn  from 
her  side.  The  Divine  Power  moves  onward  as  heedless 
of  our  demands  as  a  locomotive  of  the  schoolboy's  cry. 

If  prayer  gives  us  strength  and  courage,  it  is  well ; 
but  far  better  the  self-reliance  of  the  strong  soul  depend- 
ing on  no  external  power. 

Nature  has  no  especially  holy  days,  for  with  her  all 
days  are  sacred.  The  learned  and  exceedingly  pious 
Neander  says  that  "  the  celebration  of  Sunday — like 
that  of  every  festival — was  a  human  institution.  Far 
was  it  from  the  Apostles  to  treat  it  as  a  divine  com- 
mand ;  far  from  them  and  from  the  first  Apostolic 
Church  to  transfer  the  laws  of  the  Sabbath  to  Sunday." 
Sunday  was  a  Pagan  festive  day,  and  was  adopted  by  the 
Christians  on  that  account.  The  Romans,  according  to 
a  very  ancient  custom,  named  the  days  of  the  week  after 
their  various  deities.  The  first  day  was  Dies  Solis,  or 
the  Sun's  Day.  As  Apollo  became  more  popular,  the 
day  of  his  worship  was  held  in  greater  esteem.  Con- 
stantine  early  adopted  the  Sun  as  his  emblem  and  Apollo 


1GG  THE    RELIGION    OF    MAX. 

as  his  protector,  and  until  fifty  years  of  age  strictly  ad- 
hered to  their  worship.  When  he  was  converted  to 
Christianity  he  would  not  renounce  the  day  he  had  al- 
ways held  sacred,  and  one  of  the  first  acts  of  his  reign 
was  to  compel  its  observance.  No  allusion  was  made  to 
Christianity  in  the  edict,  which  was  prompted  by  a  lin- 
gering love  of  the  old  religion  of  the  hero  gods.  The 
courts  were  closed  on  that  day  except  for  the  manumis- 
jsion  of  slaves,  and  military  exercises  forbidden.  The 
I  Christian  bishops,  who  saw  in  the  Emperor  an  incarnate 
divinity,  adopted  the  day  to  please  their  Roman  converts. 

(It  is  a  Pagan  day  devoted  to  Apollo,  or  the  Sun,  and 
they  who  keep  it  in  no  sense  fulfil  the  command  — "  Re- 
member the  Sabbath  day,  to  keep  it  holy." 

There  is  no  command  in  the  Bible  to  observe  the  first 
day  of  the  week.  The  old  Jewish  Fetishism  is  trans- 
ferred from  the  Sabbath  to  Sunday,  and  the  church-goers 
of  the  present  think  the  day  far  more  sacred  than  any 
other.  Even  their  house  used  on  that  day  is  sacred. 
They  meet  God  there  more  directly  than  anywhere  else. 
They  do  not  believe  the  old  Pagan  notion  that  he  loves 
incense  and  the  smoke  of  burnt  offerings,  but  they  do 
believe  that  he  enjoys  their  praises  of  him  and  depre- 
ciation of  their  own  worm-like  selves.  The  day  is  holy, 
and  so  strong  is  this  prejudice  that  the  laws  for  its  ob- 
servance form  one  of  the  few  instances  where  religion 
interferes  with  affairs  of  American  State.  Nature  has 
no  Sabbath.  The  winds  blow,  the  waters  run,  it  rains 
and  is  calm,  the  leaves  and  flowers  expand,  the  birds 
sing,  on  Sunday  as  well  as  on  all  other  days.  What  is 
wrong  on  Sunday  is  wrong  on  week-days  ;  and  not  until 
the  processes  of  Nature  point  out  the  day  of  rest  should 
legal  enactment  seek  to  make  it  holy.  Until  then,  Sun- 
day laws  are  a  scandal  on  civil  liberty. 


DUTIES   AND    OBLIGATIONS    OF    MAN.  1G7 

Of  faith,  it  is  said  it  transcends  knowledge,  and  is 
the  only  means  whereby  man's  relations  to  God  can  be 
made  known.  Far  more  correct  to  say  that  faith,  the 
acceptance  of  authority,  has  cursed  mankind.  The 
more  unreasonable  and  absurd  the  statement,  the  more 
loudly  has  the  receiving  faith  been  extolled.  The  sal- 
vation of  the  soul  has  been  made  to  depend  on  faith,  as 
opposed  to  reason.  Belief  depending  on  reason  can  be 
caused  only  by  sufficiency  of  evidence  ;  it  cannot  be 
coerced  nor  gained  by  the  will.  The  faith  which  re- 
ceives the  improbable  is  attained  by  narcotizing  the  rea- 
son. But  it  is  claimed  that  man's  eternal  welfare  de- 
pends on  his  acceptance  of  certain  doctrines.  He  must 
believe  in  God,  in  Christ,  the  resurrection,  and  many 
other  minor  dogmas,  else  he  will  assuredly  be  damned. 

If  he  cannot  believe,  what  then  ?  Believing  or  non- 
believing  is  involuntary.  One  man  may  have  an  all- 
receiving  faith  without  reason  to  trouble  him,  while  an- 
other's reasoning  powers  are  so  active  that  he  receives 
nothing  without  the  closest  scrutiny.  Is  one  more 
blamable  than  the  other  ?  Faith  is  a  blind  guide,  and 
is  no  criterion  of  truth.  It  has,  in  their  time,  received 
a  stone,  a  garlic,  a  cloud,  a  bull  Apis  for  gods.  The 
myths  of  the  Olympian  Court  ;  the  fables  of  the  Incar- 
nation of  Brahma  in  Christna  ;  the  revelations  of  Zoro- 
aster, of  Moses,  of  Mohammed — all  religious  systems  the 
world  over,  unlike  in  everything  else,  agree  in  this  :  the 
faith,  or,  in  other  words,  blind,  unquestioning  belief  of 
their  devotees.  When  Abelard  began  to  prove  theology 
by  reason,  he  was  hushed  by  the  priests,  who  said  if  he 
pioved  the  reasonable  by  reason,  he  would  reject  the 
unreasonable  by  the  same,  and  this  was  by  no  means 
admissible. 

If  Christianity  had  always  made  the  same  demands  on 


1G8  THE    RELIGION    OF    MAN. 

faith,  it  might  at  least  plead  consistency.  It  has  not. 
Forced  onward  by  the  growth  of  the  race,  it  has  from 
age  to  age  been  compelled  to  change  its  ground.  It  has 
required  acceptance  of  miracles,  a  personal  God  and 
Devil,  witchcraft,  the  real  presence,  eternal  punish- 
ment, predestination,  total  depravity,  infant  damnation, 
and  countless  other  dogmas  which  have  lived  their  day, 
been  outgrown,  and  sunk  into  oblivion.  Yet  in  the  day 
of  each,  salvation  was  made  to  depend  on  their  accept- 
ance. As  faith  can  only  be  possessed  at  the  expense  of 
reason,  it  must  always  be  pernicious,  baleful,  and  blast- 
ing. The  belief  in  its  necessity,  united  with  the  dogma 
of  free-will  and  free  agency,  has  worked  untold  misery 
and  ruin. 

/  Science,  on  the  contrary,  demands  impartial  state- 
ments, leaving  the  judgment  free.  When  mankind 
reach  this  firm  ground,  and  are  able  to  give  a  reason  for 
their  beliefs,  no  doubts  will  cloud  their  clear  sky,  nor 
will  they  apostatize.  Then  they  will  arrive  at  an  un- 
derstanding of  true  holiness  and  purity,  and  find  the 
theological  standard  only  a  caricature.  Not  the  ob- 
servance of  formulated  ceremonies,  the  saying  of  long 
prayers,  the  keeping  of  saints'  days,  makes  man  holy. 
The  devotee  who  performs  weary  pilgrimages  to  the 
Ganges  to  wash  away  his  sins  is  none  the  better  for  his 
pains.  The  convert  to  Christianity  goes  down  into  the 
water  for  like  motives,  but  comes  out  none  the  better. 
Holiness  is  nearness  and  likeness  to  God — in  other  words, 
to  perfection.  None  of  these  forms  bridge  the  profound 
gulf.  They  may  have  been  helps  to  those  who  first  used 
them,  but  are  dry  and  soulless  to  those  who  follow.  The 
Stylite,  the  hermit,  the  Flagellant,  devoutly  sought  holi- 
ness in  their  various  ways — unwisely  sought  by  faith. 
The  world  moved  on,  and  in  a  better  age  said  of  them, 


DUTIES   AND   OBLIGATIONS   OF    MAN.  169 

"  Not,  0  Stylite,  on  your  pillar's  windy  summit  ;  not, 
0  Hermit,  in  your  lonely  cave  ;  not,  0  Flagellant,  in  the 
pangs  of  lacerated  flesh,  is  the  perfection  sought  by  you 
attained.  Beautiful  to  the  eye  of  Infinite  Cause  is  the 
pure  essence  of  spiritual  life  ;  but  equally  beautiful  the 
bonds  of  flesh  which  hold  it  to  earth.  It  loves  the  earthly 
clay  as  well  as  the  spiritual  life." 

Holiness  and  purity  begin  with  the  body.  Gall  in  the 
stomach  creates  gall  in  the  mind,  and  the  demons  of  perse- 
cution have  many  a  time  been  unleashed  by  the  fever  of 
indigestion.  The  olden  saint  was  a  crucified  wretch, 
suffering  unutterable  misery.  He  had  but  to  show  his 
neck  cut  to  the  bone  by  his  hair  cloth  shirt  to  be  recog- 
nized. Thorns  pierced  his  brow  ;  the  lash  tore  his 
back  ;  hunger  gnawed  at  his  vitals  ;  the  world  itself 
sank  into  indefinite  proportions  ;  and  the  demons  of 
hell  ever  howled  around  the  soul  that  thus  endeavored 
to  escape. 

Purity  has  been  sought  by  renouncing  the  world  and 
retiring  from  its  allurements.  The  rocky  cavern,  the 
cell  of  the  monastery,  the  solitude  of  forest  and  desert — 
all  have  had  their  fanatical  devotees,  who,  unable  to 
conquer  themselves  in  the  world,  voluntarily  banished 
themselves  out  of  it.  An  individual  may  preserve  him- 
self unsullied  in  the  darkness  of  a  cavern  simply  because 
untempted.  He  is  no  better  or  worse  for  that.  It  is 
not  what  a  man  does,  but  what  he  is.  Doing  is  only  a 
revelation  of  the  inner  life. 

The  spirit  touches  the  material  world  through  and  by 
means  of  the  physical  body.  Hence  physical  purity  is 
a  condition  of  spiritual  growth,  and  its  perfection  the 
rhythmic  harmony  of  all  physical  and  spiritual  func- 
tions. It  is  not  bestowed  by  miracle.  The  waters  of 
the  Ganges  or  the  church  fount  yield  it  not.  It  is  an 


170  THE    RELIGION    OF    MAN. 

acquirement  of  struggle.  It  is  the  serene  calm  of  a  life- 
time of  spiritual  dictatorship,  wherein  all  the  untoward 
promptings  of  menial  desires  have  been  subdued  by  the 
supreme  power  of  reason. 

Holiness  is  only  attainable  by  obedience  to  the  laws 
of  our  being.  The  Anchorite  is  as  reprehensible  as  the 
debauchee.  The  command  is,  Not  crush,  but  govern  ; 
the  proper  subjection  of  the  physical  and  spiritual  by 
harmonious  action. 

The  saint  of  the  past  was  known  by  the  marks  of  self- 
inflicted  physical  torture  ;  the  saint  of  the  present  be- 
lieves a  long  face,  interminable  prayers,  and  self-sacri- 
fice acceptable  to  God,  entirely  forgetful  of  his  body, 
which  may  be  a  whitened  sepulchre  reeking  with  corrup- 
tion. The  saint  of  the  future  will  hold  his  body  as  no- 
ble as  his  spirit,  and  of  equal  importance.  The  bravest 
soul  is  useless  in  a  corrupted  body. 

Science  resolves  faith  into  accurate  knowledge — duty 
into  obedience.  Piety,  which  in  its  lowest  stage  is  ser- 
vile reverence  and  love  of  God,  is  exalted  to  a  willing 
obedience — not  because  demanded  by  a  Superior  Being, 
but  because  the  requirement  of  the  constitution  of  things. 
Religion,  if  in  this  new  sense  that  term  may  be  employed, 
is  the  ceaseless  effort  for  purity  and  integrity  of  being, 
and  harmony  with  the  order  of  the  world  ;  it  is  devo- 
tion to  the  right. 


PART  II. 
THE   ETHICS  OF  SCIENCE. 


THE   INDIVIDUAL. 

THE  individual  has  fought  the  battle  of  history.  The 
determination  of  the  sphere  of  mine  and  thine,  where 
the  I  terminates  in  society,  has  been  the  bloody  battle- 
field of  the  past ;  nor  has  the  ever  fresh  problem  yet 
been  solved.  In  a  just  and  natural  order,  the  individual 
should  surrender  no  rights  to  society.  Whatever  is  right 
for  the  mass  is  right  for  the  individual.  As  all  rights 
of  society  are  founded  on  individual  rights,  the  study  of 
the  individual  is  the  key  whereby  the  social  order  must 
be  resolved. 

The  individual,  then,  first  claims  our  attention.  We 
are  not  to  regard  him  as  a  being  degraded  from  a  higher 
estate,  with  distorted  faculties  and  abnormal  desires,  out- 
side of  animal  life  and  supernatural.  He  is  a  direct  out- 
growth from  the  life  beneath  him,  still  retaining  clearly 
defined  traces  of  his  origin  in  his  instinctive  nature,  to 
which  are  added  superior  qualities  more  or  less  defined. 

Man  is  distinguished  from  animals  by  superior  or 
moral  faculties.  In  the  brute  there  is  a  prophecy  of 
qualities  allied  to  morality,  but,  in  none  of  them  is  there 
anything  like  a  clear  perception  between  right  and 
wrong.  Of  their  actions,  we  cannot  say  they  are  im- 
moral, for  they  act  by  impulse  or  desire,  and  not  from  a 
sense  of  duty.  It  may  be  said  of  savage  man,  and  of 


172  THE   ETHICS   OF   SCIENCE. 

the  savage  of  civilized  life,  that  they  are  as  destitute  of 
morals  as  the  brute,  and  hence  notblamable.  This  fact 
is  the  cause  of  inextricable  confusion  in  the  old  sys- 
tems, wherein  the  distinction  between  the  animal  and 
man  have  been  attempted  to  be  set  forth.  If  an  animal 
kills  a  man  it  is  not  held  responsible  as  morally  guilty, 
while  a  man  who  kills  his  fellow  is  guilty  of  the  highest 
crime  against  morals.  It  is  said  the  man  knew  better  ; 
he  had  a  free  choice,  and  chose  the  part  of  guilt. 

While  this  might  apply  to  cultured  minds,  such  as 
the  philosophers  who  study  the  theme  of  ethics,  it  does 
not  to  the  class  who  usually  commit  such  actions.  The 
savage  is  almost  as  much  a  creature  of  blind  impulse  as 
the  brute,  and  has  as  little  choice.  The  feelings  excited 
by  contemplation  of  similar  acts  in  the  brute  and  man 
are  results  of  the  distinction  in  motives.  The  brute  is 
pitied,  man  is  blamed,  often  mercy  being  lost  in  hot  in- 
dignation. 

If  this  be  an  error,  it  is  relieved  by  the  fact  that  while 
the  brute  is  incapable  of  moral  culture,  and  must  be 
ruled  by  fear  or  hope  of  reward, 


THE     LOWEST     MAN   IS     SUSCEPTIBLE     OF     INFINITE 
IMPROVEMENT. 

The  moral  faculties  ever  are  present,  and  may  be 
awakened  by  proper  stimulants. 

It  is  the  possession  of  moral  faculties  that  makes  a 
science  of  morals  possible,  and  the  possibility  of  their 
culture  gives  such  science  its  great  and  beneficent  influ- 
ence. While  moral  perceptions  were  early  in  appear- 
ance, the  development  of  anything  like  a  system  of  ethics 
was  reserved  for  recent  time.  The  broad  relations  of  in- 
dividuals and  society  were  seized  and  expressed  in 
proverbs  and  laws,  but  the  subtle  questions  lying  at  the 
foundation  were  too  complex  for  such  general  statement. 
Of  all  the  departments  of  thought,  this  lies  nearest  the 
central  existence  of  the  spirit.  The  physical  sciences  are 
objective,  and  interest  the  senses.  This  is  the  study  of 
the  mind  by  the  mind  itself.  It  enters  the  secret  cham- 


THE   INDIVIDUAL.  173 

bers  and  studies  the  methods  of  its  own  activities  and 
the  causes  which  incite  them. 

DUTY. 

An  animal  rushes  at,  lacerates  or  crushes  a  man.  We 
utter  no  word  of  censure.  The  animal  has  been  true 
to  its  brute  instincts  ;  we  commiserate  the  result,  and 
do  not  hold  it  responsible.  We  may  even  censure  its 
victim,  if  he  has  provoked  the  attack. 

A  man  sheds  the  blood  of  his  fellow.  At  once  we 
censure  the  act.  We  say  he  ought  not  to  have  done  the 
deed.  Why  ?  Because  he  knew  better.  Here  is  intro- 
duced a  word  which  conveys  a  meaning  unequivocal  and 
distinct.  We  do  not  say  of  the  animal,  it  ought  not, 
for  it  has  no  faculty  comprehending  ought.  We  say  it 
of  man  because  he  has  such  faculty.  He  has  a  sense  of 
duty,  of  obligation,  for  doing  or  not  doing,  to  which 
the  animal  is  a  stranger.  He  is  the  thrall  of  a  higher 
sphere  of  motives,  and  if  he  is  not  obedient,  he  sinks 
at  once  to  the  animal  plane.  In  fact,  he  sinks  far  lower, 
for  the  blind  instincts  of  the  animal  in  him  are  intensi- 
fied by  the  intellect,  directing  and  directed. 

When  we  consider  man  as  a,  product  of  evolution,  and 
not  as  a  fallen  being,  we  eliminate  from  the  discussion 
the  intricate  dogmas  of  his  fall  and  redemption  through 
vicarious  atonement.  Moral  philosophy  becomes  a  sci- 
ence to  be  advanced  by  research  and  observation  in  the 
same  manner  as  other  sciences.  We  are  no  longer  con- 
fused by  metaphysical  argumentation  based  on  the 
twisted  meaning  of  words,  and  dogmatic  theology  yields 
its  place  as  blind  autocrat. 

In  this  study  we  regard  the  mind  as  a  unity  composed 
of  diversity.  It  is  the  bane  of  metaphysical  systems  that 
they  analyze  the  mind  into  several  groups  of  faculties 
more  or  less  arbitrarily,  and  then  reason  from  such  classi- 
fications as  though  they  were  finalities.  By  this  means 
the  mental  powers  have  come  to  be  regarded  as  distinct, 
clearly  defined,  and  independent  in  their  action.  The 
same  error  enters  into  what  may  be  termed  anatomical 
psychology.  The  brain  is  mapped  into  divisions  more 


174  THE   ETHICS   OF   SCIENCE. 

or  less  minute,  and  from  these  the  mind  is  formed,  as  a 
government  of  many  individual  states.  However  accu- 
rately the  brain  may  be  divided,  or  sharply  defined  its 
several  functions,  the  mind  must  be  regarded  as  a 
whole,  arising  from  the  blending  of  them  all.  A 
greater  error,  because  leading  to  ruinous  consequences, 
is  the  doctrine  that  all  the  faculties,  being  natural  and 
necessary,  should  be  regarded  as  equals,  and  the  action 
of  one  as  right  as  another.  Casting  aside  revelation  as 
a  standard  of  authority,  man  has  nothing  outside  of 
himself  to  which  to  appeal.  If  he  appeals  to  his  own 
faculties,  he  must  know  how  to  interpret  their  voice. 
In  a  conflict  between  them,  he  must  have  some  criterion 
by  which  he  can  decide. 

For  this  understanding  we  must  know  man's  position 
in  the  universe,  and  the  purposes  and  functions  for  which 
his  mental  faculties  are  adapted.  We  shall  thereby 
learn  if  they  are  equal  in  authority  in  the  determination 
of  conduct,  or  if  they  are  co-ordinated  in  an  ascending 
series,  the  lower  subject  to  the  higher.  We  shall  ascer- 
tain which  are  the  higher,  which  the  lower,  and  the  dis- 
tinct provinces  of  each. 

POSITION"   OF   MAN. 

/  Man  is  the  superlative  being,  the  last,  greatest,  and 
yet  incomplete  effort  of  creative  energy.  I  shall  consider 
him  in  the  twofold  aspect  of  a  physical  and  spiritual 
being,  related  on  the  one  side  to  the  material  world  and 
on  the  other  to  the  spiritual.  Since  the  motto  "  Know 
thyself"  was  carved  on  the  portal  of  a  Grecian  temple, 
the  study  of  man  has  been  the  most  absorbing  pursuit 
of  the  thinker  ;  for  all  departments  of  science  cluster 
around  him  as  a  centre,  and  a  perfect  knowledge  of  him 
is  a  comprehension  of  the  universe.  Early  was  the  mo- 
mentous question  asked  by  the  soul  blindly  calling  for 
an  understanding  of  itself,  Wliat  is  man?  The  solu- 
tion was  felt  to  be  fraught  with  infinite  consequences, 
not  only  in  this  life  but  the  interminable  future,  which 
was  vaguely  shadowed  on  the  understanding  of  savage 
man.  The  answer  early  given,  in  the  very  childhood 


THE   INDIVIDUAL.  175 

of  the  race,  became  the  foundation  of  the  great  religious 
systems  of  the  world.  The  conjecture  of  untutored 
minds  became  the  received  system  of  causation,  and 
growing  hoary  with  age,  arrogated  to  itself  infallible  au- 
thority, and  required  implicit  faith  and  the  exercise  of 
reason  only  in  making  palatable  the  requirements  of  that 
f ai  th.  Conceived  in  an  age  when  nature  was  an  unknown 
realm,  and  law  and  order  not  imagined  to  control  or  di- 
rect causes  to  effects,  when  science  opened  her  mysteries 
to  the  understanding,  and  one  by  one  dogmas  claiming 
infallibility  were  shown  to  be  false,  there  of  necessity 
was  antagonism  and  conflict.  I  do  not  propose  to  en- 
large on  the  theological  aspect  of  this  subject  more  than 
incidentally.  That  treatment  has  grown  threadbare, 
"  stale,  flat,  and  unprofitable,"  for  every  drop  of  vital 
juice  it  contained  has  been  extracted  long  ago.  The  in- 
terminable sects,  wrangling  over  the  dogmatic  solution 
of  the  vital  question  of  man's  origin  and  destiny,  arriv- 
ing at  nothing  determinate,  wrangling  with  each  other 
and  themselves,  do  not  furnish  incentives  to  follow  their 
paths.  If  metaphysical  theology  contained  the  germ  of 
truthful  solution,  satisfaction  would  have  resulted  ages 
ago,  and  the  mind,  reposing  contented  with  the  answer, 
would  have  employed  its  energies  in  other  directions.  In- 
stead there  is  restlessness,  turmoil,  conflict  and  indeci- 
sion, and  never  has  been  an  answer  so  broad  and  deep  in 
catholicity  of  truth  as  to  meet  the  demand.  If  science 
fail  also,  it  is  not  the  irretrievable  failure  of  assumed 
infallibility.  Its  teachings  are  ever  tentative,  and  proph- 
ecies of  final  triumph.  As  the  most  ennobling  study  of 
mankind  is  man,  the  crowning  work  of  science  is  the 
solution  of  this  vexed  question.  By  science  I  mean  ac- 
curate knowledge,  close  and  careful  observation  of  phe- 
nomena, and  the  conclusions  drawn  therefrom.  , 

s 

MAN   A   DUAL  STRUCTURE. 

While  theology,  Brahminical,  Buddhistical  or  Chris- 
tian, teaches  that  man  is  an  incarnate  spirit,  indepen- 
dent of  the  physical  body,  created  by  miracle,  supported 
by  a  succession  of  miracles,  and  saved  by  miracle  from 


176  THE    ETHICS   OF   SCIENCE. 

eternal  death,  material  science,  as  at  present  taught  by 
its  leading  exponents,  wholly  ignores  his  spiritual  life, 
and  declares  him  to  be  a  physical  being  only.  It  is  not 
my  purpose  to  reconcile  these  conflicting  views.  Truths 
never  require  reconciliation,  for  they  never  conflict.  If 
the  results  of  two  different  methods  of  investigation  are 
at  variance,  one  or  the  other  is  in  error,  and  the  only 
reconciliation  is  the  elimination  of  that  error.  The 
egotism  of  theology  and  the  pride  of  science  array  their 
votaries  in  opposition,  while  the  truth  remains  unques- 
tioned in  the  unexplored  middle  ground.  Man  is 
neither  a  spirit  nor  a  body  ;  he  is  the  intimate  union  of 
both.  In  and  through  his  physical  being,  the  spiritual 
nature  is  evolved  from  the  forces  of  the  elements,  and 
is  expressed.  There  is  something  more  enduring  than 
the  resultants  of  chemical  unions,  actions  and  reactions 
in  his  physical  body.  Beneath  this  organic  construc- 
tion is  that  which  remains,  to  which  it  is  the  scaffolding 
which  assists,  while  it  conceals  the  development  of  the 
real  edifice. 

PHYSICAL  MAN". 

First,  as  most  tangible  and  obvious  in  this  investiga- 
tion, is  the  physical  man,  the  body,  the  temple  of  the 
soul.  The  student,  even  when  imbued  with  the  doc- 
trine of  materialism,  arises  from  the  study  of  the  physi- 
cal machine  with  wonder  and  surprise  akin  to  awe. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  we  die,  but  that  we  live. 
The  rupture  of  a  nerve  fibre,  the  obstruction  of  a  valve, 
the  momentary  cessation  of  breath,  the  introduction  of 
a  mote  at  some  vital  point,  brings  this  complex  structure 
to  eternal  rest.  By  what  constant  forethought,  by  what 
persistency  of  reparation  is  it  preserved  from  ruin  ! 

This  physical  man  is  an  animal,  amenable  to  the  laws 
of  animal  growth.  His  body  is  the  type  of  which  theirs 
are  but  imperfect  copies.  From  two  or  three  mineral 
substances  his  bones  are  crystallized  and  articulated  as 
the  bones  of  all  vertebrate  animals,  and  over  them  the 
muscles  are  extended.  From  the  amphioxus,  too  low  in 
the  scale  of  being  to  be  called  a  fish,  a  being  without 
organs,  without  a  brain,  little  more  than  uii  elongated 


THE    INDIVIDUAL.  177 

sack  o-  gelatinous  substance,  through  which  a  white 
line  marks  the  position  of  the  spinal  chord  and  the  fu- 
ture spinal  axis,  there  is  a  slow  and  steady  evolution  to 
the  perfected  skeleton  of  man.  His  osseous  structure  is 
the  type  of  all.  The  fin  of  the  fish,  the  huge  paddle  of 
the  whale,  the  cruel  paw  of  the  tiger,  the  hoof  of  the 
horse,  the  wing  of  the  bird,  and  the  wonderfully  flexi- 
ble hand  of  man,  so  exquisite  in  adaptations  as  to  be 
taken  as  an  unqualified  evidence  of  Design,  are  all  fash- 
ioned out  of  the  same  elementary  bones,  after  one 
model.  The  change  of  form  to  meet  the  wants  of  their 
possessors  results  from  the  relative  enlargement  or 
atrophy  of  one  or  more  of  these  elements.  When  the 
fleshy  envelope  is  stripped  away  from  them,  it  is  aston- 
ishing how  like  these  apparently  divergent  forms  really 
are.  In  the  whale  the  flesh  unites  the  huge  bones  of 
the  fingers,  and  produces  a  broad,  oar  like  fin  ;  in  the 
tiger  the  nails  become  retractile  talons  ;  in  the  birds 
some  of  the  fingers  are  atrophied,  while  others  are 
elongated  to  support  the  feathers  which  are  to  offer  re- 
sistance to  the  air  in  flight  ;  in  the  horse  the  bones  of 
the  fingers  are  consolidated,  and  the  united  nails  appear 
in  the  hoof. 

If  there  exists  such  perfect  similarity  in  the  bony 
structure  of  man  to  the  animal  world,  the  muscular  sys- 
tem for  which  it  furnishes  support  offers  the  same  like- 
ness. Trace  any  muscle  in  the  human  body  from  its 
origin  to  its  termination,  mark  the  points  where  it  seizes 
the  bones,  the  function  it  performs,  and  then  dissect 
the  most  obscure  or  disreputable  member  of  the  verte- 
brate kingdom,  the  same  muscle  performing  the  same 
function  will  be  found.  The  talons  of  the  tiger  are 
extended  and  flexed  by  muscles  similar  to  those  which 
give  flexibility  to  the  human  hand,  and  the  same  ele- 
ments are  traceable  in  the  ponderous  paddle  of  the 
whale. 

More  vital  than  the  bony  framework,  or  the  muscles 
to  which  it  gives  support,  is  the  nervous  system,  seem- 
ingly not  only  the  central  source  of  vital  power,  but  the 
means  of  union  and  sympathetic  relation  of  every  cell 
and  fibre  of  the  entire  body. 


178  THE    ETHICS   OF   SCIENCE. 

The  brain  has  been  aptly  compared  to  a  central  tele- 
graphic office,  and  the  nerves  to  the  extended  wires, 
which  hold  in  communication  and  direct  relation  all  the 
organs,  and  from  which  the  functions  of  each  are  di- 
rected. 

The  nervous  system  is  the  bridge  which  spans  the 
chasm  between  matter  and  spirit,  and  the  battle  be- 
tween Materialism  and  Spiritualism  must  be  fought  not 
only  with  brain,  but  in  the  province  of  brain.  The  is- 
sue directly  stated  is  this  :  Does  the  brain  yield  mind  as 
the  result  of  organic  changes  in  its  cells  and  fibres,  or  is 
mind  a  manifestation  through  and  by  means  of  the  brain 
of  something  superior  and  beyond  Y  The  material  sci- 
entists rely  on  facts,  yet  the  most  profound  in  their 
ranks  admit  that  the  structure  of  the  brain  is  a  mystery, 
its  functions  unfathomable,  and  really  nothing  is  abso- 
lutely known  of  the  offices  it  sustains  to  the  body,  or 
the  methods  by  which  these  are  performed.  They  are 
satisfied  with  the  investigation  of  what  may  be  called 
secondary  relations  and  effects.  The  chemist  has  found 
phosphorus  and  sulphur  in  the  nerve  substance,  and 
hence  it  is  claimed  that  they  are  essential  to  thought. 
So  much  phosphorus,  so  much  thought,  and  so  much 
waste  product  of  decomposition.  These  philosophers 
have  gone  so  far  as  to  prescribe  the  diet  for-  students. 
Fish  abound  in  phosphorus,  and  are  hence  the  best  brain 
food.  But  surely  phosphorus  never  wrote  Homer's  Iliad, 
or  solved  the  problem  of  gravitation.  It  is  not  phos- 
phorus, or  carbon,  or  nitrogen,  however  vigorously 
oxidized,  that  pulsates  in  the  emotions  of  friendship 
or  love  ;  that  feels,  and  thinks,  and  knows  ;  that  rec- 
ollects the  past,  and  anticipates  the  future,  and  reaches 
out  in  infinite  aspirations  for  perfection. 

The  actions  of  thought  on  the  brain,  the  effort  com- 
pelling the  body  to  serve  the  bidding  of  the  spirit,  may 
consume  this  element  and  many  others,  as  the  movement 
of  an  engine  consumes  the  coal  and  wastes  the  steam  ; 
but  the  coal  and  the  steam  are  only  the  means  whereby 
mind  impresses  itself  on  matter. 

The  materialist  studies  the  brain  as  a  person  wholly 
unacquainted  with  an  engine,  and  mistaking  it  for  a 


THE   INDIVIDUAL.  179 

living  being,  might  be  supposed  to  do.  He  would  ob- 
serve its  motion,  and  weighing  the  coal  consumed  and  the 
products  of  combustion,  would  say  that  they  appeared 
in  steam,  which,  after  propelling  the  piston,  was  waste. 
The  design  in  the  engine,  the  eifect  of  these  combina- 
tions and  this  waste,  this  observer  would  claim  to  be 
the  guiding  intelligence.  And  he  would  further  argue 
that  so  much  coal  in  the  grate,  so  much  water  in  the 
boiler,  and  you  have  so  much  intelligence,  and  the 
waste  may  be  predetermined  by  chemical  formulas  ! 

Until  the  threshold  of  the  structure  of  the  nervous 
system  and  the  functions  of  the  brain  have  been  passed, 
the  primary  principles  of  scientific  investigation  would 
at  least  require  modesty  in  asserting  conclusions  of  such 
momentous  consequences. 

If  it  be  claimed  that  man  is  a  natural  being,  origi- 
nated and  sustained  by  natural  laws  ;  that  he  came  with- 
out miracle,  then  do  we  unite  the  margins  of  the  human 
and  animal  kingdoms,  and  are  satisfied  with  placing 
man  at  the  head  of  the  animal  world.  An  interminable 
and  unbroken  series  of  beings  extends  downward 
from  man  until  the  organs  by  which  the  phenomena 
of  life  are  manifested  are  lost  one  by  one,  the  senses 
disappear,  and,  we  arrive  at  what  has  been  aptly 
termed  "  protoplasm,"  not  an  organized  form,  but  sim- 
ply organizable  matter,  or  matter  from  which  organic 
forms  can  be  produced. 

If  in  reviewing  this  chain  of  beings,  slowly  arising  by 
constant  evolution,  we  closely  examine  several  of  its  con- 
secutive links,  we  shall  find  that  while  each  is  appar- 
ently complete,  yet  it  is  only  the  germ  out  of  which  the 
next  is  evolved  in  superior  forms.  Each  link  is  a 
prophecy  of  future  superiority.  We  can  trace  the  ful- 
filment of  the  prophecy  of  one  age  in  the  next,  until 
man  appears  as  the  last  term  in  the  physical  series. 

They  who  teach  us  this  doctrine  of  evolution,  which 
is  to  life  what  the  law  of  gravitation  is  to  worlds,  also 
teach  that,  united  with  the  doctrine  of  "  conservation 
of  force,"  our  hope  of  immortality  becomes  a  dream. 

What  a  sham  they  make  of  creation  !  What  a  turmoil 
for  no  result  !  Infinite  ages  of  progress  and  evolution, 


180  THE    ETHICS   OF   SCIENCE. 

during  which  elemental  matter,  by  force  of  inherent 
laws,  sought  to  individualize  itself  and  incarnate  its 
force  in  living  beings  ;  ages  of  struggle  upward  from 
low  to  high,  from  sensitive  to  sentient,  from  sentient  to 
intellectual,  from  zoophyte  to  man  !  And  now,  having 
accomplished  this,  and  given  man  exquisite  susceptibil- 
ity of  thought,  of  love,  of  affection,  making  him  the 
last  factor  in  the  series,  he  is  doomed  to  perish  !  What 
is  gained  by  this  travail  of  the  ages  ?  It  would  have 
been  as  well  had  the  series  stopped  with  the  huge  sau- 
rians  of  the  primeval  slime,  or  the  mastodon  and  mam- 
moth of  prehistoric  times,  as  with  man.  As  each  fac- 
tor in  the  series  prophesies  future  forms,  so  does  man, 
read  in  the  same  light,  prophesy  forms  beyond.  They 
cannot  be  in  the  line  of  greater  physical  perfection,  for 
in  the  days  of  Greece  and  Rome  man  was  as  perfect 
physically,  as  is  seen  by  their  sculptures,  as  to-day. 
Ages  ago  this  exceeding  beauty  was  attained.  It  can- 
not be  in  the  evolution  of  a  being  superior  to  man,  for 
in  each  lower  animal  imperfect  organs  or  structures  or 
partially  employed  functions  are  improvable  and  per- 
fected by  succeeding  forms  ;  in  man  the  archetype  is  com- 
plete, and  no  partially  developed  organ  indicates  the 
possibility  of  future  change. 

THE   COURSE    OP   PROGRESS   CHANGED. 

Progress  having  arrived  at  its  limits  with  the  body, 
changes  its  direction,  and  appears  in  the  advancement 
of  mind.  Death  closes  the  career  of  individuality,  and 
we  live  only  in  thoughts — our  self  hood  is  absorbed  in 
the  ocean  of  being.  Mankind  perfects  as  a  whole,  and 
the  sighed-for  millennium  is  coming  by-and-by. 

Of  what  avail  is  it  to  us  if  future  generations  are  wise 
and  noble,  if  we  pass  into  nonentity  ?  Of  what  avail  to 
them  to  be  wise  arid  noble,  if  life  is  only  the  fleeting 
hour  ?  Not  yet  will  I  believe  Nature  to  be  such  a  sham 
— such  a  cruel  failure.  The  spirit  rebels  against  the 
supposition  of  its  mortality.  The  body  is  its  habili- 
ment. Shall  the  coat  be  claimed  to  be  the  entire  man  ? 
Shall  the  garments  ignore  the  wearer  ? 


THE   GENESIS  AND   EVOLUTION   OF   SPIEIT.         181 

This  is  the  animal  side  of  man.  Physically  composed 
of  the  same  elements,  and  having  passed  through  these 
innumerable  changes,  he  is  an  epitome  of  the  universe. 
As  man  was  foreshadowed  in  remotest  ages  as  the  crown- 
ing type  in  the  series  of  organic  life,  so  man  foreshadows 
superior  excellence.  Springing  out  of  his  physical  per- 
fectibility arises  a  new  world  of  spiritual  wants  and 
aspirations,  unanswered  and  unanswerable  in  mortal  life. 

IF  THERE   IS   AN   IMMORTAL  SPIRIT,  IT   MUST   BE    ORIGI- 
NATED   AND  SUSTAINED  BY  NATURAL  LAWS. 

If  this  be  true,  we  are  to  seek  the  origin  of  the  indi- 
vidualized spirit  with  the  origin  of  the  physical  body. 
We  are  to  place  the  growth  of  one  with  that  of  the  other. 
The  physical  body  is  the  scaffolding  by  which  the  spir- 
itual being  is  sustained,  and  when  matured  sufficiently, 
remains  after  that  support  is  taken  away. 

A  certain  stage  of  progress  or  perfection  must  be 
reached  before  this  result,  else  all  living  beings  would  be 
immortal.  Like  the  arch,  which  unless  completed  falls 
as  soon  as  the  scaffolding  is  removed,  the  spiritual  part 
of  the  animal  falls  at  death.  Continue  the  task  still 
further  and  place  the  keystone  in  position,  and  the  arch 
remains  self-supporting. 


II. 

THE  GENESIS  AND  EVOLUTION  OF  SPIRIT. 

ALL  religious  systems  of  necessity  are  based  on  immor- 
tality. Man  may  be  moral  without  belief  in  the  future. 
.But  the  faith  and  knowledge  of  a  life  infinitely  contin- 
ued sheds  a  glory  over  the  present,  and  consecrates  the 
character.  The  motives  of  the  hour  become  sanctified 
with  the  mighty  influences  which  are  theirs  in  their  in- 


182  THE    ETHICS   OF   SCIENCE. 

terminable  reach,  and  every  act  lias,  a  new  significance 
in  the  superadded  eternal  relation. 

Moral  science  is  the  crowning  arch  of  all  knowledge, 
the  latest  and  the  best.  Its  study  involves  that  of  all 
others,  for  the  moral  faculties  are  the  acquisition  of  an 
ascending  series,  are  directly  related  with  the  faculties 
which  reach  down  and  lay  tiold  of  the  physical  world. 
They  are  hence  subject  to  laws,  form  a  continuity,  and 
are  a  factor  in  the  mental  unity.  That  we  may  com- 
prehend the  foundations  on  which  we  build  the  spiritual 
temple  whose  dome  is  crowned  with  the  heaven-light  of 
a  religion  sublimated  from  a  pure  morality,  a  brief  out- 
line of  the  relations  of  the  spiritual  and  physical  uni- 
verse is  here  introduced.  On  this  ascending  order  we 
found  our  classification  of  the  mental  faculties,  as  the 
order  of  beings  is  ascertained  from  embryonic  growths, 
and  shall  determine  the  higher  from  the  lower. 

THE    ORIGIN"   OF   MATTER    AND    FORCE. 

The  origin  of  matter  and  force  evade  the  grasp  of  the 
human  mind.  Consistent  philosophy  can  only  rest  its 
sure  foundations  on  the  admission  of  the  co-eternity  of 
the  atom  and  the  forces  which  emanate  therefrom.  We 
have  no  knowledge  of  the  creation  or  destruction  of  the 
least  fragment  of  matter.  We  are  only  acquainted  with 
change.  The  wood  or  coal  burns  in  the  grate  and  dis- 
appears, leaving  a  residuum  of  ashes.  Has  the  fire  de- 
stroyed the  matter  of  which  the  coal  was  formed  ?  Ah 
no  !  there  has  only  been  a  change  of  form. 

Nor  is  the  force  lost.  It  disappears,  as  the  solid  coal 
disappears  in  the  atmosphere,  but  retains  its  potential- 
ity. No  discovery  of  modern  times  has  had  greater  in- 
fluence than  that  of  the  indestructibility  of  motion.  We 
have  instanced  the  burning  of  coal.  We  say  it  is  de- 
stroyed and  the  heat  which  it  produced  has  ceased.  In 
both  expressions  are  we  at  fault,  for  as  the  carbon  of  the 
coal  has  changed  its  form,  and  heat  has  resulted  from 
the  change,  that  form  of  force  has  not  ceased  to  be  after 
warming  our  dwellings.  The  carbon  of  the  coal  was 
secreted  by  the  action  of  the  heat  and  light  of  the  sun 


THE    GENESIS   AND    EVOLUTION   OF   SPIRIT.         183 

during  the  coal  period.  It  existed  as  carbonic  acid  gas 
in  the  atmosphere,  and  the  rays  of  the  sun  tore  asunder 
the  carbon  and  oxygen  of  the  gas,  and  the  former  was 
stored  away  by  the  plant,  at  length  to  become  coal. 
What,  then,  have  we  when  we  allow  these  atoms  of  car- 
bon and  oxygen  to  rush  together  ?  The  phenomenon  of 
heat,  or,  in  other  words,  the  identical  force  which  mill- 
ions of  ages  ago  separated  these  elements. 

If  we  place  the  coal  in  the  furnace  of  an  engine,  the 
heat  it  affords  is  changed  into  motion,  and  if  possible  to 
utilize  it  all,  the  amount  of  motion  will  exactly  equal 
the  amount  of  heat.  Thus  a  pound  of  coal  represents 
a  certain  amount  of  force  derived  primarily  from  the 
sun.  If  burned  in  a  furnace  and  perfectly  economized, 
it  will  give  the  engine  power  to  raise  a  certain  number 
of  pounds  one  foot ;  or  if  the  engine  drive  a  machine 
to  create  friction,  that  friction  will  produce  light  and 
heat  exactly  equal  to  the  quantity  of  sunlight  and  heat 
originally  required  to  create  the  pound  of  coal ;  or  it 
may  be  applied  to  produce  electricity,  and  that  electricity 
will  be  sufficient  to  produce  light  and  heat  of  the  same 
degree,  or  to  propel  another  engine  of  the  same  power. 
In  all  these  changes  of  form  of  motion,  to  light,  to 
heat,  to  electricity,  and  revertive  to  motion,  nothing  is 
gained,  nothing  lost. 


FOUNDATION   OF   SPIRITUALISM. 

Here,  on  the  assumed  co-eternity  of  Matter  and  Force, 
on  the  foundation  of  rigid  Materialism,  we  can  study 
the  processes  of  evolution  in  the  material  world  and 
also  in  the  world  of  spirit,  understanding  that  one  is 
as  inflexibly  controlled  by  law  as  the  other. 

We  propose  to  treat  this  great  problem  from  this  stand- 
point, well  knowing  the  magnitude  of  the  task  and  the 
difficulties  to  be  met.  So  far  as  we  are  aware  this  is  the 
first  attempt  to  reduce  spiritual  existence  to  the  do- 
minion of  law,  or  extend  the  process  of  formation  in  a 
continuous  and  direct  line  from  physical  forms  to  spir- 
itual life. 


184  THE   ETHICS    OF   SCIENCE. 


DEFINITION"   OF   SPIRIT. 

How  far  removed  this  subject  is  from  the  path  of  exact 
observation  or  scientific  thought  is  clearly  shown  by 
the  received  definition  of  spirit.  It  is,  according  to 
the  standard  lexicon,  "The  intelligent,  immaterial 
and  immortal  part  of  human  beings."  If  immaterial, 
spirit  at  once  escapes  us.  The  methods  by  which  we  in- 
vestigate physical  nature  are  worthless,  and  it  is  amenable 
to  no  laws  which  we  can  ascertain.  But  how  can  an  im- 
material  being  have  intelligence?  How,  even,  can  itexist? 
It  is  an  absolute  nothing,  an  intelligent,  immortal  noth- 
ing !  And  this  nothingness  is  not  a  fact  of  organiza- 
tion, but  a  gift  from  God!  Ardent,  indeed,  is  the 
imagination  of  the  metaphysician  who  accepts  such  an 
existence,  and  maintains  its  desirability.  This  imma- 
terial part  they  say  is  a  fragment  from  the  Divine  Being, 
and  is  an  image  of  him  in  quality,  but  differs  in  degiee. 
Not  a  step  has  been  made  since  the  Brahmins  of  the 
Ganges,  so  remote  that  our  historic  dates  are  of  yester- 
day, perfected  their  system  of  theology.  Man's  spirit 
was  a  portion  of  the  Infinite  Spirit,  and  was,  after  pass- 
ing through  a  certain  cycle,  reabsorbed  into  the  divine 
bosom,  to  flow  out  again  in  an  endless  succession  of  be- 
ings. This  theory  is  plausible,  but  being  entirely  imag- 
inary, is  no  more  worthy  of  credence  than  the  vagaries 
of  a  dream.  Here  the  speculations  of  one  man  are  as 
reliable  as  those  of  another,  and  all  are  as  idle  conjec- 
tures, for  at  the  very  beginning  it  is  impossible  for 
finite  man  to  know  anything  of  the  Infinite  Spirit,  and 
how,  then,  so  flippantly  assert  that  the  spirit  of  man  is 
a  detached  fragment  or  spark  from  this  Infinite  Source  ? 

REINCARNATION. 

Nor  is  the  modified  form  of  this  theory  known  as  re- 
incarnation less  objectionable.  The  spirit  is  something 
foreign  to  the  physical  body,  which  takes  up  its  abode 
therein.  This  is  a  very  old  idea,  and  is  received  in  al- 
most its  original  form,  as  advocated  by  the  Pythagorean 
and  Platonic  schools.  In  proof  it  is  said  there  are  those 


THE   GENESIS   AND   EVOLUTION   OF   SPIRIT.         185 

who  distinctly  recollect  passages  in  their  previous  exist- 
ence.    As  the  poet  has  said  : 

"  Some  draught  of  Lethe  doth  await, 
As  old  mythologies  relate, 
The  slipping  through  from  state  to  state." 

But  memory  is  not  always  silenced.  Sometimes  the 
potent  draught  is  not  sufficiently  powerful  ;  and  then 
we  decipher  the  mystic  lines  of  some  previous  state  : 

"  And  ever  something  is  or  seems, 
That  touches  us  with  mystic  gleams, 
Like  glimpses  of  forgotten  dreams." 

Plato  regarded  this  life  as  only  a  recognized  moment 
between  two  eternities,  the  past  and  the  future.  Innate 
ideas  and  the  sentiment  of  pre-existence  prove  our  past. 
To  Plato,  representative  of  the  attainment  of  ancient 
thought,  such  might  be  satisfactory  evidence,  but  to  us, 
with  the  knowledge  we  possess  of  the  physiology  of  the 
brain,  they  are  of  little  value. 

If  the  spirit  is  an  independent  portion  of  the  Deity, 
what  can  it  possibly  gain  by  reincarnation  F 

It  is  claimed  that  spirits  who  have  sinned  in  the 
body  are  obliged  to  reincarnate  themselves  for  purifica- 
tion. If  the  spirit  is  essentially  pure,  and  becomes  cor- 
rupt by  contact  with  the  body,  it  is  strange,  indeed,  a 
second  contact  is  able  to  purify.  If  we  admit  the  theory 
of  reincarnation,  the  birth  of  every  human  being  is  a 
miracle,  and  the  spiritual  realm  at  once  removes  itself 
from  rational  investigation.  The  difficulties  which  lie 
in  the  way  of  its  reception  are  insumountable  ;  the 
greatest  of  which  is,  that  at  best  it  offers  a  speculative 
solution  to  a  problem  far  better  solved  by  the  application 
of  known  causes.  The  entire  animal  world  must  re- 
ceive its  living  element  in  the  same  manner,  and  re- 
incarnation must  apply  to  brutes  as  well  as  man,  for  one 
type  of  structure  pervades  all  living  beings. 

If  this  incarnate  or  physical  state  is  one  of  probation, 
how  can  a  portion  of  the  infinite  take  on  a  probationary 
state,  and,  being  absolutely  perfect,  what  benefit  does  it 
derive  from,  incarnation,  or  by  repeated  reincarnations? 
The  higher  can  gain  nothing  by  contact  with  the 


186  THE   ETHICS   OF    SCIENCE. 

lower,  and  if  spirit  exists  independent  of  matter,  and 
living  beings  receive  the  breath  of  life  by  receiving  a 
portion  of  the  spiritual  essence,  then  that  essence  must 
be  the  loser,  and  repeated  contacts  degrade  rather  than 
elevate  it.  That  we  lose  our  consciousness  of  the  pre- 
ceding states  is  among  the  least  of  objections,  for  con- 
sciousness and  memory  are  often  treacherous.  The 
cardinal  objection,  which  supplants  all  others,  is  derived 
from  a  study  of  the  constitution  and  order  of  the  world. 
Nature  has  one  structural  plan  extending  from  the  ani- 
malcule to  man,  taking  in  with  all-embracing  sweep  the 
vegetable  and  animal  kingdoms.  In  accordance  with 
that  plan  all  beings  beneath  man  are  developed.  Why 
are  we  to  suppose  that,  although  his  physical  form  is  a 
direct  continuance  of  the  line  of  progress,  as  expressed 
in  animals,  and  his  psychical  being  different  from  theirs 
not  in  kind,  but  degree,  a  new  method  is  introduced, 
which  sets  aside  and  renders  worthless  this  interminable 
series  of  advancing  life  ?  Man  would  exist  just  the  same 
were  not  this  new  method  introduced,  as  the  laws  of 
creation  extend  directly  to  him.  They  consequently 
disturb  the  otherwise  unbroken  harmony  of  nature  by 
the  introduction  of  a  miracle. 

An  oak  germinates  from  an  acorn  under  the  favor- 
able conditions  of  moisture  and  warmth,  by  which  the 
germ  is  enabled  to  expand  according  to  the  laws  of  its 
growth.  It  is  not  necessary  to  suppose  the  spirit  of  a 
decayed  oak  takes  possession  of  the  acorn  to  clothe  itself 
again  with  woody  fibre. 

If  we  received  the  theory  of  reincarnation,  and  that 
the  spirit  is  a  fragment  of  the  Divine  spirit,  as  the  phys- 
ical body  is  of  the  physical  world,  the  difficulties  are  by 
no  means  escaped.  We  can  see  that  the  infinite  series 
of  creation  is  the  means  whereby  the  fragment  we  call 
the  body  was  broken  off  from  the  physical  world.  By 
what  process  was  the  fragment  broken  off  from  the  spir- 
itual world  ?  To  say  that  some  human  spirits  are  re- 
incarnations, while  others  are  not,  will  not  suffice,  for 
all  are  re-incarnations,  else  none.  If  all  are,  then  this 
difficulty  is  only  placed  more  remote,  for  the  first  incar- 
nation must  have  occurred  at  some  time,  and  how  was 


THE   GENESIS   AND   EVOLUTION   OF   SPIEIT.         187 

that  effected?  How  was  the  individual  spirit  at  first 
created  by  or  detached  from  the  Infinite  Spirit  ?  Thus, 
at  every  point,  the  theory  is  beset  with  insurmountable 
difficulties,  and  it  ever  appears  supposititious,  as  the 
psychical  phenomena  it  seeks  to  explain  are  consistently 
referred  to  the  known  laws  of  the  world. 

DEAD    MATTER. 

The  old  idea  of  the  inertness  of  matter,  that  it  is  dead 
and  inanimate,  only  moving  when  acted  upon  by  su- 
perior force,  has  become  obsolete.  Whether  we  regard 
the  atom  to  which  matter  is  finally  reduced  as  a  pulsat- 
ing centre  of  force  or  as  an  entity  affects  not  our  con- 
clusion. If  an  entity,  we  can  never  know  anything  of 
it  except  by  means  of  the  forces  flowing  from  it.  We 
never  see,  feel,  taste  nor  touch  matter.  It  is  its  proper- 
ties or  atmosphere  which  affect  us.  All  visible  effects 
are  produced  by  invisible  causes.  All  the  forces  of  na- 
ture act  from  within  outward.  "  Tho  things  to  be  ex- 
plained," remarks  a  modern  thinker,  "  are  changes, 
active  effects,  motions  in  ordinary  matter,  not  as  acted 
upon,  but  as  in  itself  inherently  active.  The  chief  use 
of  atoms  is  to  serve  as  points  or  vehicles  of  motion. 
Thus,  the  study  of  matter  resolves  itself  into  the  study 
of  forces.  Inert  objects,  as  they  appear  to  the  eye  of 
sense,  are  replaced  by  the  activities  revealed  to  the  eye 
of  the  intellect.  The  conceptions  of  "  gross,'  '  corrupt,' 
'  brute  matter,'  are  passing  away  with  the  prejudices  of 
the  past  ;  and  in  place  of  a  dead,  material  world,  we 
have  a  living  organism  of  spiritual  energies." 

The  organization  of  atoms  cannot  manifest  any  qual- 
ity that  does  not  reside  in  the  single  atom.  Hence,  if 
matter,  in  its  aggregation,  yields  the  phenomena  of  life 
and  consciousness,  the  atom  must  contain  the  possibili- 
ties of  life  and  consciousness. 

We  are  to  divest  ourselves  at  once  of  the  old  idea  of 
the  inertness  of  matter.  It  has  within  itself  the  forces 
by  which  it  acts,  without  which  it  could  not  exist. 

We  have  to  deal  with  force,  or  what  has  ever  been 
termed  spirit,  from  the  beginning.  Beyond  this  force 


188  THE   ETHICS   OF   SCIENCE. 

and  visible  matter  may  lie  the  domain  of  the  Infinite 
Mind,  the  expression  of  whose  will  and  purpose  these 
phenomena  are. 

ORIGIN"   OF   LIFE. 

The  cell  is  the  beginning  of  all  forms  of  life  ;  even  in 
reproducing  life  in  any  manner,  as  by  division  or  par- 
entage. The  cell  is  the  primary  form  from  which  the 
infinite  series  of  vegetable  and  animal  life  is  derived. 
Life  is  inherent  in  matter,  and  living  beings  are  the  in- 
dividualization  of  that  life.  Its  individualization  was 
the  result  of  conditions  such  as  now  exist  in  the  sea,  so 
that,  should  the  earth  be  divested  of  living  beings,  it 
would  begin  a  new  series  of  advancement,  differing  only 
from  that  recorded  in  the  rocky  strata  by  the  superiority 
of  present  conditions  to  those  of  the  original  chaos. 

The  fragment  was  broken  from  the  world  of  matter 
and  individualized,  and  by  evolution,  the  gradual  un- 
folding of  inherent  qualities,  we  can  trace  its  growth 
through  the  successive  geological  ages.  It  may  not  be 
possible  to  trace  with  completeness  the  progiess  from 
the  microscopic  atom  of  protoplasm  to  the  highest  form  of 
mammals.  The  great  Darwin  has,  with  a  flood  of  facts, 
bridged  the  vast  distance,  and  established  the  doctrine 
of  creation  by  evolution  in  a  direct  and  continuous  line, 
in  a  fixed  and  unvarying  order. 

ORIGIN"   OF  MAN. 

The  forces  of  change  are  operating  to-day  with  the 
same  swift  but  noiseless  energy  as  in  the  past.  The 
once  prevalent  notion  of  catastrophes  has  passed  away. 
The  geological  ages  are  no  longer  divided  by  sharp  lines, 
formed  by  overwhelming  convulsions,  but  fade  into  each 
other.  From  the  cellular  atomy  to  the  mollusk  ;  from 
inollusk  to  the  fish  and  reptile  ;  from  the  reptile  to  the 
warm-blooded  animal,  is  one  unbroken  line  of  ascent. 
The  animate  beings  of  each  age  are  direct  outgrowths  of 
the  preceding,  and  man  is  not  an  exception.  There 
is  as  little  necessity  to  introduce  miracle  at  his  creation, 
as  at  the  production  of  the  atomic  of  the  primeval  slime. 


THE   GENESIS   AND    EVOLUTION   OF   SPIRIT,         189 

He  did  not  spring,  like  Minerva,  from  the  brain  of 
Jove,  with  all  his  God-like  qualities  complete.  Even 
the  brief  records  of  history  carry  us  back  to  barbarism, 
and  in  the  unknown  period  beyond  man  becomes  a  skin- 
clad  savage,  scarcely  superior  to  the  animal  his  strategy 
eludes  or  destroys.  The  first  indication  of  his  presence 
is  a  broken  flint,  so  rude  it  was  at  first  referred  to  ac- 
cident ;  his  dwelling  was  the  natural  fissures  of  the 
rocks,  which  he  disputed  with  varying  fortune  with  his 
brother  animals.  As  the  animal  world  advances,  man 
is  degraded,  until  the  chasm  said  to  exist  between  them 
vanishes,  and  the  two  inseparably  blend.  It  is  admitted 
by  those  who  have  studied  the  subject  most  profoundly, 
that  the  mental  powers  of  animals  and  of  man  are  the 
same  in  kind,  only  differing  in  degree.  The  distance 
between  the  intellect  of  Newton  and  that  of  the  dog  is 
immeasurably  great,  but  the  difference  between  him  and 
the  Bosjesman,  who  is  unable  to  count  four,  is  greater 
than  between  the  intelligence  of  the  latter  and  the  dog. 
The  manifestation  of  intellect  is  determined  by  the 
brain,  and  the  brain  of  the  higher  animals  and  man  are 
identical  in  structure.  Whatever  we  may  hereafter  find 
the  functions  of  brain  to  be,  we  know  its  size  and  form 
indicate  the  thoughts  which  accompany  it.  Thus, 
anatomy  alone  proves  the  inseparable  union  in  organiza- 
tion between  man  and  the  animal.  Even  language  has 
been  employed  both  by  Darwin  and  Wallace  to  strengthen 
this  union,  animals  having  signs  and  sounds  to  ex- 
press their  thoughts  and  emotions. 

Physically  and  mentally  man  is  the  culmination  of 
the  vast  series  of  organic  changes  from  the  dawn  of  life. 
Organs  faintly  shadowed  or  indifferently  formed  in  him 
are  perfected,  balanced,  and  brought  in  harmony  with 
the  perfection  of  others.  He  is  the  type  and  perfection 
of  the  animal  kingdom. 

MENTAL   GROWTH. 

This  survey  of  the  realm  of  living  beings  presents  us 
with  the  perfection  of  the  physical  forms  of  animals  as 
well  as  of  man.  The  lion,  for  instance,  is  no  more  per- 


190  THE    ETHICS   OF    SCIENCE. 

feet  than  its  ancestors  of  the  tertiary  epoch.  The  sle- 
phant  is  not  in  advance  of  the  elephant  of  the  same. 
These  high  forms  have  attained  their  completeness,  and 
are  subject  to  little  variation.  The  physical  man  has 
also  reached  perfection.  In  ancient  times  he  had  done 
so,  as  is  shown  by  the  perfection  of  the  marble  models 
of  Greece.  There  is  every  reason  to  suppose  that  the 
human  form  was  as  exquisitely  moulded  three  thousand 
years  ago  in  Greece,  as  it  is  under  the  highest  civiliza- 
tion at  present. 

With  the  acquisition  of  intellect,  progress  changed  its 
object  and  direction.  Previously  acting  on  unresisting 
bodies,  it  has  now  found  a  directing  power  in  intelli- 
gence. Animals  are  even  in  their  highest  estate  almost 
as  resistless  to  the  conditions  which  environ  them  as  the 
elements.  The  same  holds  true  of  lowest  man.  He 
offers  no  resistance  to  change.  When,  however,  he  be- 
gins to  understand  the  laws  of  the  elements,  he  takes 
advantage  of  their  power,  and  dictates  to  them.  In  ex- 
act ratio  of  his  knowledge  is  he  the  master  instead  of 
the  slave.  A  new  element  is  introduced  into  the  meth- 
od of  evolution.  Perfection  of  physical  form  is  reached 
and  progress  directed  through  the  channel  of  intelli- 
gence. A  certain  mental  endowment  is  gained  by  ani- 
mals, but  their  physical  structure  precludes  any  consid- 
erable attainment.  The  upright  position,  the  dexterity 
of  the  hand,  which  obtain  in  man,  are  essential  to  his 
intellectual  growth.  Even  were  it  possible  for  a  tiger 
to  become  as  intelligent  as  man,  its  organization  would 
render  such  endowment  worthless.  The  hand  of  the 
inventor  is  as  necessary  as  his  intellectual  faculties.  An 
ox  with  the  mind  of  La  Place  in  vain  might  seek  to 
record  its  calculations  ;  and  though  it  should  plan  a 
Hoosac  Tunnel,  its  hard  hoofs  could  not  execute  the 
work. 

The  question  is  asked,  If  animals  in  the  past,  by  con- 
stantly availing  themselves  of  every  change  for  the  bet- 
ter, have  reached  their  present  status,  will  not  improve- 
ment still  continue,  and  may  not  races  superior  to  man 
be  expected  ?  In  those  regions,  unmolested  by  man,  the 
process  of  change  will  continue  ;  but  as  he  meets  the 


THE    GENESIS    AND    EVOLUTION    OF   SPIKIT.         191 

requirements  of  his  position,  as  in  him  is  made  perfect 
expression  of  type,  there  can  be  no  physical  advance 
beyond  him.  If  we  study  the  structure  of  any  individ- 
ual animal,  we  readily  perceive  wherein  important 
changes  might  be  made  for  its  improvement.  Not  so 
with  man.  His  physical  organization  is  complete,  and 
although  we  find  traces  of  organs  once  useful  to  lower 
being,  but  now  atrophied,  we  find  no  partially  developed 
organs,  or  indications  of  latent  functions.  Further- 
more, at  this  point  where  he  gains  physical  perfection, 
his  intellect  makes  him  master  of  conditions.  If  he 
have  an  imperfect  organ  it  is  his  brain,  which  now  re- 
ceives the  entire  force  of  the  elements  of  change,  and 
shadows  forth  the  most  exalted  intellectual  possible  at- 
tainments. The  savage  offers  slight  resistance  to  the 
conditions  which  surround  him.  The  Esquimaux  build 
ice-houses  to  protect  themselves,  but  in  the  struggle  for 
existence  are  overpowered  by  the  climate,  and  as  a  race 
are  disappearing.  The  African  is  enervated  and  over- 
powered by  the  tropic  heat ;  civilized  man,  on  the  con- 
trary, by  his  knowledge  of  architecture,  clothing,  fire 
and  skill,  overcomes  climate.  He  carries  the  tropics  to 
the  poles,  and  the  polar  ice  to  the  tropics.  Not  only 
does  he  set  aside  the  order  of  progress  in  himself,  he 
dictates  to  the  animal  world.  He  introduces  domestic 
animals  in  place  of  the  denizens  of  the  wild,  which  he 
extirpates.  These  domestic  species  are  the  product  of 
his  whim  and  caprice,  in  which  his  ideas  are  expressed, 
as  he,  by  study  of  the  methods  of  nature,  has  learned  to 
substitute  new  methods  of  his  own. 

By  this  rapid  survey  we  have  determined  man's  posi- 
tion at  the  apex  of  the  pyramid  of  life,  the  crowning 
work  of  creative  energy.  We  have  observed  the  method 
by  which  his  physical  body  has  been  broken  like  a  frag- 
ment from  the  world  of  matter.  The  development  of 
mind  can  be  traced  by  a  parallel  course,  and  to  con- 
tinue the  figure  of  speech,  indicates  the  method  by  which 
man's  spirit  is  broken,  a  fragment  from  the  spiritual 
universe. 


!  1ART?.K: 


192  THE   ETHICS   OF   SCIENCE. 


SPIRIT. 

We  now  come  to  the  consideration  of  the  immortal 
man.  Thus  far  our  course  has  been  with  the  material- 
ists, who  will  be  pleased  with  our  conclusions.  But  we 
can  go  no  further,  for  we  cannot  hold  with  them  that 
intelligence  vanishes  as  the  flame  of  the  lamp  when  the 
oil  is  burned  out ;  the  tones  of  music  when  the  instru- 
ment is  destroyed,  or  the  hum  of  the  bee  after  the  insect 
has  passed  on  its  busy  wings. 

The  highest  culture  of  all  ages  and  the  instinctive 
yearnings  of  the  soul  contradict  this  conclusion.  Ever 
it  exclaims  with  the  great  Goethe,  "  The  destruction  of 
such  high  powers  is  something  which  can  never,  under 
any  circumstances,  come  in  question,"  and  we  are  prone 
to  say  with  the  shade  of  Anticlea,  "  When  a  man  is  dead, 
the  flesh  and  the  bones  are  left  to  be  consumed  by  the 
flames  ;  but  the  soul  flies  away  like  a  dream." 

More  deeply  are  we  impressed  with  that  conclusion, 
when  by  a  survey  of  the  realm  of  life  we  find  that  the 
progressive  labor  of  the  ages  is  for  the  creation  of  man. 
He  is  the  resultant  of  the  vast  series  of  evolutions.  The 
labor  has  been  for  his  benefit,  and  whatever  results  have 
flowed  to  other  beings  have  been  accidental  to  the  main 
line  of  advancement.  A  plan  is  revealed,  which,  as 
previously  stated,  is  inherent  in  the  constitution  of  the 
world,  and  must  be  inevitably  followed.  To  stop  short 
of  man  would  be  to  render  creative  energy  an  abortion. 

PROGEESS   UNLIMITED. 

"We  cannot  limit  this  progress.  Having  reached  its 
highest  point  in  physical  man,  it  seeks  a  new  channel 
through  his  spiritual  nature.  In  the  human  form  we 
observed  no  imperfectly  fashioned  organs  or  illy  exe- 
cuted functions  prophesying  greater  perfection  hereto- 
fore, but  in  the  mental  realm  we  do  find  this  state  of 
things.  Compared  even  with  his  ideal,  the  man  of  pro- 
foundest  thought  is  a  child.  Infinite  possibilities 
are  his,  and  vet  he  actualizes  scarcely  the  alphabet  ! 


THE   GENESIS   AXD    EVOLUTION    OF    SPIRIT.         193 

Nor  is  it  possible  for  the  individual  man  in  the  short 
space  allotted  to  mortal  life  to  do  more.  Shall  the  race 
accomplish  what  is  denied  the  individual  ?  The  great 
stream  of  civilization  flows  onward,  and  each  individual 
atom  rises  above  the  preceding. 

Then,  what  is  the  benefit  or  aim  of  this  progress  ?  Is 
there  anything  gained  by  the  mastodon  taking  the  place 
of  the  saurian  of  the  primeval  slime,  or  man  of  the  mas- 
todon ?  If  the  production  of  mortal  beings  is  the  end, 
the  process  would  be  as  perfect  at  one  stage  as  another. 
We  consider  it  perfect  in  proportion  as  the  typical  struc- 
ture is  attained,  and  that  structure  is  one  which  most 
completely  embodies  the  possibilities  of  the  elements. 
Mun  is  the  nearest  approximation  to  this  result.  He 
has  in  a  measure  become  master  of  the  forces  which  sur- 
round him,  but  who  will  say  he  has  reached  the  limits 
of  his  capabilities  in  this  direction  ?  With  the  same 
ratio  of  progress  for  the  next  century  as  in  the  past,  he 
will  have  the  forces  of  nature  under  his  control. 

But  this  is  for  the  race.  What  is  for  the  individual  ? 
He  cares  not  if  mankind  a  thousand  years  hence  become 
as  Gods  :  lie  asks,  What  is  my  destiny  ?  The  great  plan 
of  animal  life  comes  to  fruition  in  physical  man  ;  he  is 
the  result  of  countless  millenniums  ot  evolutions.  As 
this  progress  evolves  man,  the  same  laws  extend  into  a 
higher  domain  and  evolve  his  spirit. 

Unless  this  be  so,  creation  is  a  failure,  and  the  chain 
of  beings  which  form  its  cycle  represent  no  purpose. 
Unless  the  order  be  extended,  and  as  a  result  a  portion 
become  advanced  to  a  new  and  higher  plane,  we  have 
the  spectacle  of  ceaseless  activity  without  object  or  gain, 
which  is  nowhere  else  met  with  in  the  bounds  of  na- 
ture. 

The  material  is  wanting  to  bridge  the  gulf  between 
matter  arid  spirit,  but  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  how 
brief  has  been  the  period  since  investigation  has  been 
intelligently  directed  to  this  subject,  and  also  the  great 
difficulties  in  the  way.  A  boundless  field  of  research  is 
here  opened,  across  the  threshold  of  which  none  have  yet 
passed  except  those  who  have  studied  it  from  the  im- 
mortal side.  For  the  present,  then,  the  main  argument 


194  THE    ETHIf'S    OF   SCIENCE. 

rests  on  the  perfect  and  satisfactory  manner  in  which 
this  theory  accounts  for  all  the  diverse  phenomena. 

IMMORTALITY   IS   CONFERRED    AS   THE   HIGHEST   AIM    OF 
CREATIVE   ENERGY, 

admitting  no  mistakes.  Man's  spiritual  state  must 
surpass  his  mortal,  which  is  its  prototype,  extending 
and  consummating  the  mortal  life.  Whether  we  die 
drawing  our  first  living  breath,  or  after  a  full  century, 
has  not  the  least  influence  on  the  final  growth  and  at- 
tainments of  the  spirit,  which  embodies  every  law  of 
progress.  Whether  as  a  spirit  clad  in  flesh,  or  as  a 
spirit  in  the  angel  spheres,  man  is  amenable  to  law. 

We  can  learn  many  lessons  from  this  contemplation. 
By  it  we  comprehend  our  duty  to  lower  and  our  rela- 
tions to  higher  orders  of  intelligences.  The  brutes  of 
the  field,  our  ignoble  brethren,  all  the  forms  of  life  be- 
neath us,  require  our  kindness,  love,  and  sympathy  ;  the 
angels  of  light,  our  elder  brothers,  call  forth  our  love 
and  emulation.  We  are  not  ephemerae  of  a  day,  but 
companions  of  suns  and  worlds,  and  possessed  of  a  proud 
consciousness  that  when  the  lofty  mountain  peaks  have 
crumbled  and  the  earth  passed  away,  when  the  sun  no 
longer  shines,  the  stars  of  heaven  are  lost  in  night,  our 
spiritual  being  will  have  but  begun  its  never-ending 
course, 


III. 

THE   LAW  OF   MORAL   GOVERNMENT. 

WE  state  the  law  of  morality  and  of  conscience  to  be 
that  the  highest  faculties  should  always  control  the  con- 
duct of  life.  Each  and  every  faculty  of  the  mind  has 
its  own  appropriate  function  and  office  to  perform,  and 
within  its  sphere  of  activity  is  promotive  of  good  and 
conducive  to  happiness.  Whenever  any  lower  faculty 


THE  LAW  OF  MORAL  GOVERNMENT.       195 

transcends  its  sphere  and  encroaches  on  that  of  a  higher, 
evil  and  unhappiness  results.  But  how  are  we  to  deter- 
mine the  high  from  the  low  ?  Are  not  all  good,  and  foi4 
good,  and  as  integral  parts  of  the  mind  are  they  not  all 
equal  ?  For  the  thorough  comprehension  of  this  subject, 
which  has  become  a  confusion  of  conflicting  theories, 
the  formation  of  the  mind  must  be  attentively  studied. 
Then  we  shall  be  prepared  to  pronounce  on  the  ascend- 
ing degrees  of  higher  or  lower,  and  what  can  be  elimi- 
nated from  the  mind  and  yet  preserve  its  integrity  ; 
what  faculties  and  functions  man  may  lose  and  yet  re- 
main man. 


SIMILARITY    OF   THE    MORAL   AND    PHYSICAL  WORLDS. 

Man,  as  the  crowning  effort  of  the  physical  world, 
and  a  compend  of  the  universe,  reveals  in  his  organiza- 
tion his  kinship  with  its  forces.  He  is  the  expansion  of 
the  germ  ;  its  prophecy  in  the  beginning,  as  within  the 
acorn  resides  the  possibilities  of  the  oak.  If  we  ask 
what  is  the  foundation  law  of  the  physical  world, 
without  which  it  could  not  exist,  even  as  material, 
at  first  we  might  find  it  difficult  to  answer.  We  can 
approach  the  solution  by  a  process  of  elimination. 
We  shall  have  no  difficulty  in  pronouncing  the  vegeta- 
ble beneath  the  animal,  or  the  energies  called  vital  above 
those  of  purely  chemical  affinity. 

The  vital  forces  of  vegetation  are  a  modification  of 
chemical  affinity,  which  lies  directly  beyond.  This  force 
aggregates  like  substances.  Its  manifestation  depends 


ON  COHESION, 

the  indiscriminate  attraction  of  atoms.  Before  there 
can  be  selection,  atoms  must  be  brought  together.  Neb- 
ulous clouds,  the  atoms  of  which  are  dissipated  by  re- 
pulsion, have  no  cohesion.  But  there  is  a  force  re- 
maining after  the  cancellation  of  the  vital,  of  affinity, 
of  cohesion,  and  that  force  superior  to  all  others  is 


196  THE    ETHICS    OF    SCIENCE. 


GRAVITATION". 

vVithout  the  tendency  of  bodies  toward  each,  other 
there  could  exist  no  systems  of  revolving  worlds,  nor 
would  such  systems  have  been  formed  in  the  beginning 
from  the  primal  chaos.  Annul  gravitation,  and  matter 
ceases  to  exist.  There  is  nothing  above,  or  more  all- 
embracing.  It  embodies  the  mathematics  and  mechan- 
ics of  nature.  Life  may  be  extinguished,  selective  affin- 
ity and  cohesion  destroyed,  yet  this  force  will  remain 
unchanged.  As  we  cannot  go  beyond  it,  and  it  depends 
on  no  other,  it  must  be  the  highest  force  in  the  physical 
world.  It  was  first  to  manifest  its  influence  in  the  vor- 
tices in  which  suns  and  systems  were  gestated  from 
chaos.  When  the  atoms,  repelled  into  most  attenuated 
vapor,  were  drawn  into  each  other's  sphere,  cohesion 
and  then  chemical  affinity  were  manifested.  The  latter 
made  vegetable  life  possible,  which  in  turn  supported 
animal  life. 

As  the  universe  of  matter  has  one  principle  superior 
to  all  others,  on  which  its  very  existence  depends,  so 
man,  as  an  epitome  of  the  universe,  has  one  principle  or 
faculty  which  makes  him  man,  and  without  which  he  is 
not  man,  but  an  animal. 

It  is  self  evident  that  all  those  faculties  which  he  holds 
in  common  with  animals  do  not  make  him  man.  It  is 
some  quality  which  they  do  not  possess  which  confers 
that  title  of  honor. 

The  development  of  every  child  begins  at  the  same 
point  with  the  animal.  The  germ  has  but  one  function, 
that  of  assimilating  food.  The  first  command  is  to 
grow.  The  next  step  is  taken  by  the  acquisition  of  or- 
gans of  locomotion.  It  no  longer  waits  for  its  food,  it 
reaches  after  it.  Then  we  see  the  dawn  of  mentality 
in  the  directing  power  applied  to  the  locomotive  organs. 

In  man  the  first  process  is  of  growth,  assimilation,  and 
the  mental  faculties,  which  are  awakened  by  the  gratifi- 
cation of  the  demands  made  by  this  process,  and  its  cor- 
related functions  lie  at  the  base  of  the  brain,  and  are 
called  the  Appetites  and  Passions.  Related  to  these,  and 
in  part  springing  from  them,  are  the  desires,  and  above 


THE  LAW  OF  MORAL  GOVERNMENT.       197 

these  the  emotions.  In  order  of  growth,  the  latest  in 
development  is  the  intellectual  and  moral  faculties. 
That  they  are  not  essential  to  animal  life  is  proved  by 
the  fact  that  animals  exist  without  them.  The  later 
development  of  moral  consciousness  proves  that  it  is  not 
c-ssential  to  intellectual  life,  though  these  two  have  kept 
an  even  and  parallel  course.  Comparing  man  with  the 
animal,  we  eliminate  all  faculties  except 

REASON   AS  INTELLECTUAL  AND  MORAL  CONSCIOUSNESS. 

It  is  to  man  what  gravitation  is  to  the  physical  world. 
It  is  unlimited  by  any  other  faculty,  nor  is  it  dependent 
for  its  manifestation  on  any  other.  Unlike  the  lower, 
it  makes  no  prophecy  of  another  faculty  ;  its  promise  is 
of  its  own  perfection.  The  appetites  minister  exclu- 
sively to  the  demands  of  the  body,  performing  which 
their  task  is  finished.  But  if  there  is  not  something 
more,  nothing  but  animal  life  is  attained.  The  body  is 
nourished  for  something.  There  is  a  work  for  it  to  do. 
That  work  is  the  evolution  of  spirit  and  its  mentality. 
On  the  appetites  rests  a  group  of  desires,  from  the  most 
selfish,  to  those  which  reach  into  the  future,  for  contin- 
ued life,  and  the  loves,  which  are  represented  in  the 
physical  world  by  heat,  radiating  out  from  the  individual 
to  the  family  and  the  world. 

The  body  was  made  to  serve  the  mind,  and  not  the 
mind  the  body.  The  appetites  were  made  to  serve  the 
desires  and  love,  and  not  the  desires  and  love  to  serve 
the  appetite.  All  below  were  made  to  serve  those  above. 
And  lastly  the  intellect  was  made  to  serve  the  moral 
consciousness,  and  not  the  moral  consciousness  the  in- 
tellect. Here  we  grasp  the  true  distinction  between 

HIGH   AND   LOW. 

When  a  faculty  is  the  foundation  of  another,  it  must 
be  regarded  as  lower  than  that  to  which  it  administers. 
Thus  the  appetites  that  feed  the  body  are  lower  than  the 
faculties  which  are  manifested  through  the  body  being  so 
fed.  Reason,  which  takes  cognizance  of  perceptions  and 


198  THE    ETHICS   OF    SCIENCE. 

emotions,  must  be  superior  to  the  faculties  on  which  it 
sits  in  judgment.  Spiritual  reason,  or  moral  conscious- 
ness, the  essence  of  the  spiritual  perceptions,  must  be 
highest  of  all.  If  you  now  ask  what  can  a  man  not  spare 
and  yet  remain  man,  the  answer  must  be,  Reason  and 
Conscience.* 

We  now  have  a  rule  by  which  to  determine  the  grade 
of  the  mental  faculties.  It  is  precisely  the  same  as  that 
by  which  the  naturalist  determines  the  grade  of  organic 
life.  Whatever  looks  forward  to  the  sustenance  of 
something  beyond  is  lower  than  the  organism  it  thus 
foreshadows.  The  faculties  possessed  by  man,  which 
distinguish  him  from  the  animal,  are  as  superior  to 
those  which  belong  to  the  animal  as  the  hand  is  supe- 
rior to  the  claw,  formed  of  the  same  elements. 

SHALL   WE    BE    NATURAL? 

As  every  faculty  has  a  function  to  perform,  eke  it 
would  not  exist  any  more  than  a  superfluous  organ,  the 
natural  activity  of  all  faculties  is  essential  to  well  being. 
What  is  this  natural  activity?  It  is  activity  within  the 
sphere  of  each,  to  the  point  where  the  superior  receive 
only  bene6t.  The  body  being  created  for  the  mind,  its 
appetites  were  given  for  its  proper  growth  and  suste- 
nance, and  are  for  this  end  productive  of  good.  But  if 
they  seek  gratification  beyond  that  sphere,  they  are  de- 
structive of  the  purpose  of  their  being.  We  at  once  say, 
this  is  unnatural  and  wrong.  The  idea  of  man  is  of  a 
reasoning,  moral  being,  and  every  faculty  and  function 
promises  that  result.  Whatever  interferes  with  growth 
in  that  direction  is  unnatural  as  it  is  wrong. 

Hunger  is  the  demand  of  the  body  for  food.  To  an- 
swer such  demand  is  the  first  duty  of  being,  as  life  itself 
depends  upon  it.  To  partake  of  food,  and  of  such  quality 
as  reason  dictates,  is  right,  and  is  rewarded  by  asatisfac- 


*  The  reader  will  find  further  on  that  by  Conscience  is  meant 
the  highest  form  of  Reason,  or  Spiritual  Consciousness.  The 
term  is  used  to  avoid  circumlocution,  but  always  with  this  mean- 
ing. 


THE    APPETITES.  199 

tion  which  is  happiness.  If,  however,  we  eat  for  the 
gratification  of  this  appetite  when  the  body  makes  no  de- 
mand, and  of  deleterious  food,  we  defeat  its  purpose,  and 
bring  pain  and  disease.  The  same  is  true  of  all  other 
faculties.  Each  has  an  appropriate  sphere,  in  which  it  is 
iiseful  and  productive  of  good.  That  sphere  is  bounded 
on  one  side  by  the  body  ;  on  the  other,  it  reaches  upward 
to  the  mental  qualities,  which  depend  and  grow  out  of  it. 
The  gourmand  destroys  his  intellect  and  his  moral  sensi- 
bilities by  surfeit,  while  hunger  should  be  limited  to  the 
proper  wants  of  the  body,  which  stimulate  and  do  not 
interfere  with  mentality.  The  same  is  true  of  the  de- 
sires and  loves  in  their  relation  to  the  intellect.  To 
present  this  subject  in  its  broadest  sense,  as  immortal 
spirits  we  have  an  infinite  future  of  development  before 
us.  That  development  must  come  through  the  spiritual 
faculties.  Hence  the  gratification  of  physical  desires 
should  only  reach  that  point  where  they  conduce  to  our 
spiritual  welfare.  Our  progress  dates  at  the  beginning 
of  being.  The  physical  body  is  an  incident  of  earth-life, 
which  will  be  cast  aside  at  death.  Its  use  and  purpose 
is  to  bring  the  spirit  in  contact  with  the  physical  world 
for  its  development.  While  this  earth-side  of  our  na- 
ture is  of  primal  consequence,  it  sinks  into  utter  insig- 
nificance when  compared  with  the  infinite  life  beyond. 
It  should  be  conducted  in  strictest  reference  to  future 
well  being  and  happiness,  and  the  pleasures  of  the  mo- 
ment yield  to  those  of  the  future  ;  the  mortal  to  the 
immortal. 


IV. 

THE   APPETITES. 

THE  mental  qualities  are  involuntary  or  instinctive, 
and  voluntary.  The  demarkation  between  these  divi- 
sions is  not  clearly  defined.  In  the  animal  the  invol- 
untary appear  to  form  the  whole  mind  ;  in  man,  this 


200  THE    ETHICS   OF    SCIENCE. 

substratum,  held  in  common,  is  more  or  less  under  the 
control  of  the  will. 

Tn  proportion  as  the  voluntary  faculties  expand,  the 
involuntary  recede.  The  Appetites  belong  to  the  in- 
voluntary division,  for  though  measurably  controllable, 
in  the  end  they  escape  the  will. 

Those  functions  which  arise  out  of  and  are  essential 
to  the  existence  of  man  as  a  physical  being  are  called 
the  Appetites.  These  have  been  classed  with  the  Pas- 
sions, or  indiscriminately  called  by  that  name.  It  is 
preferable  to  apply  to  them  a  term  which  clearly  ex- 
presses their  relations  to  the  body  and  distinguishes 
them  from  the  Passions,  which  are  essentially  distinct. 

As  the  sustenance  of  the  body  depends  on  the  Appe- 
tites, they  are  characterized  by  their  periodical  response 
to  its  needs.  If  their  demands  are  not  answered,  they 
increase  in  intensity,  until  the  Will  is  forced  to  yield. 

The  Appetites  are  hunger,  thirst,  sleep,  activity,  rest, 
and  sexual  instinct.  The  desire  for  air,  like  that  for 
water,  may  also  be  included. 

HUNGER. 

To  exist  requires  the  assimilation  of  food,  and  life  is 
a  ravenous  maw  insatiably  demanding  organizable 
material.  Living  beings  are  created  hungry.  Their 
first  activity  is  in  search  of  food.  The  protoplasmic 
cell,  lowest  form  of  organic  life,  assimilates  and 
grows.  It  exists  to  assimilate  and  grow.  The  first 
articulate  sound  of  new-born  life  is  a  cry  for  food.  Life 
is  a  wasting  force,  and  as  it  wastes,  it  must  be  fed. 
Throughout  the  sentient  world  hunger  is  the  cardinal 
force  compelling  activity.  It  is  the  ever-applied  spur, 
As  food  is  not  brought  to  the  mouth,  it  must  be  sought, 
and  the  seeking  is  labor.  Labor  stimulates  thought, 
and  civilization  grows  out  of  the  pangs  of  Hunger. 
Were  it  not  for  this  motive,  idleness  would  never  arise 
from  its  imbecility.  The  fact  that  man  has  regarded 
labor  as  a  curse  bestowed  for  sin,  proves  how  inherently 
he  prefers  idleness  broken  only  by  spasmodic  activity. 
He  embodied  this  necessity  in  the  myth  of  "  The  Fall," 


THE    APPETITES.  201 

and  thus  accounted  for  the  disagreeable  burden  of  gain- 
ing bread  by  the  sweat  of  his  brow. 

In  the  tropics  nature  spoils  man  by  her  bounty.  Con- 
tinued supply  of  food  in  wasteful  abundance  makes 
forethought  useless  and  labor  unnecessary.  Man,  ener- 
vated by  the  climate,  vegetates  under  the  palm  and 
orange,  and  never  arises  above  his  childhood. 

In  the  North  he  is  crushed  by  the  too  stern  necessities 
of  the  climate.  Hunger  is  the  one  motive  of  the  Es- 
quimaux, which  absorbs  all  others,  and  so  difficult  to  an- 
swer, life  is  absorbed  in  its  gratification.  Only  in  a 
narrow  belt  of  the  temperate  zone  are  the  antagonistic 
forces  so  balanced  that  man  can  attain  perfection. 

It  is  only  there  that  the  demands  are  sufficiently  great 
to  stimulate  yet  not  exhaust  the  vital  energies,  leaving 
a  surplus  for  other  and  higher  uses.  On  the  desire  for 
various  articles  of  food  commerce  in  a  great  measure 
depends,  to  gratify  which  its  ships  navigate  the  farthest 
seas. 

The  West  is  supplied  with  the  spices  of  the  East,  and 
the  East  with  the  corn  of  the  West.  The  North  par- 
takes of  the  fruits  of  the  tropics,  and  the  tropics  of  the 
North.  A  diet,  formed  of  the  mixed  products  of  all 
climes,  is  not  only  a  result  of  commerce,  it  is  essen- 
tial to  high  civilization.  A  simple  diet,  like  that  of 
rice,  for  example,  is  incapable  of  supporting  complex 
mental  manifestations,  such  as  are  shown  in  the  nations 
of  Europe  or  in  America. 

Hunger  has  not  only  sent  the  countless  sails  of  com- 
merce around  the  world,  it  has  stimulated  invention, 
and  the  growing  of  food  is  only  equalled  by  its  prepara- 
tion, which  has  become  a  science  as  well  as  an  art.  The 
early  man  ate  the  seeds  of  grasses  and  weeds  uncooked  ; 
masticated  the  hard  acorn,  and  devoured  the  warm  raw 
flesh.  He  learned  to  soften  and  make  more  palatable 
the  seeds,  and  broil  the  flesh  with  fire.  By  culture  the 
small  seeded  grass  became  golden  grain,  filled  to  the 
brim  with  life-yielding  elements.  The  force  used  to 
masticate  and  digest  was  relieved  by  the  art  of  cooking, 
and  the  surplus  thus  gained  was  an  endowment  of  his 
intellect. 


202  THE    ETHICS    OF    SCIENCE. 

THUS     KNOWLEDGE      AND     MORALITY      ARE      BASED     ON 
HUNGER. 

The  starving  man  knows  nothing  but  his  insatiate 
desire  for  food.  This  desire,  when  natural — that  is, 
when  unfettered  or  uninfluenced  by  other  motives,  is  a 
true  criterion  of  its  own  needs,  and  a  trusty  guide  in 
the  selection  and  quantity  of  food.  When  stimulated  it 
fails  and  becomes  treacherous. 

THE      NATURAL     ACTIVITY     OF     AN     APPETITE      YIELDS 
HAPPINESS. 

To  insure  the  proper  attention  to  the  demand  for 
food,  it  is  made  imperative  and  cumulative,  and  the 
sense  of  taste  is  bestowed  not  only  for  discrimination, 
but  pleasure.  But  the  sense  of  taste  does  not  pall  the 
moment  Hunger  is  satisfied,  and  hence  we  eat  after  the 
necessity  is  supplied,  or  for  the  single  purpose  of  pleas- 
ing the  palate  when  no  necessity  exists.  As  Hunger  is 
the  test  of  the  amount  of  food  which  can  be  digested 
and  assimilated,  the  energy  of  the  digestive  organs  is 
not  sufficient  to  meet  this  extra  demand  ;  indigestion 
and  imperfect  assimilation  breed  disease. 

As  life  itself,  with  all  its  manifestations,  depends  on 
the  food  we  eat,  the  importance  of  the  quality  and 
quantity  of  that  food  will  be  seen  to  be  of  primary  im- 
portance. Health  is  the  cardinal  requisite  of  a  perfect 
life,  and  health  depends  on  food. 

Thus  we  perceive  that  Hunger,  when  answered  by 
appropriate  food,  is  a  source  of  happiness.  Its  func- 
tion is  to  supply  the  waste  of  the  body.  If  it  do  more, 
transcending  its  sphere,  and  is  gratified  for  its  own  sake, 
misery  is  the  sure  result. 

THIRST. 

Nearly  four  fifths  of  the  body  is  water,  which  is  an 
essential  element  for  the  manifestation  of  life.  To 
supply  the  waste  of  this  through  secretions,  excretions, 
and  chemical  changes,  thirst  is  given.  It  demands 


THE   APPETITES.  203 

water,  and  no  effort  of  the  will  can  conquer  its  impera- 
tive voice.  If  it  demands  any  other  draught,  it  is 
through  the  imposition  of  habit.  The  difference  be- 
tween a  habit  and  a  natural  demand  is  that  the  latter 
is  for  something  inherently  necessary  for  the  support  of 
the  organism,  while  the  former  is  for  something  which 
has  of  itself  created  the  desire.  The  desire  for  water  is 
not  a  habit,  but  a  necessity  of  being,  while  the  desire 
for  alcoholic  drinks  is  a  habit,  because  such  beverages 
have  caused  the  peculiar  changes  in  the  system  which 
cull  for  these  beverages  instead  of  water. 

The  same  is  true  of  tobacco,  opium,  etc.,  the  use  of 
which  leads  to  the  habit.  They  all  exhilarate  for  a 
time,  to  be  followed  by  a  corresponding  depression, 
from  which  the  nerves  cannot  be  rallied  except  by  a 
new  indulgence.  They  induce  a  radical  change  in  the 
system,  which  is  felt  in  the  intellectual  and  moral  per- 
ceptions. 

The  feverish  antagonism  of  the  present  civilization 
is  promotive  of  stimulation,  as  the  flagging  racer  is 
urged  onward  by  the  spur,  and  the  over-working  of  the 
masses  also  creates  a  desire  for  unnatural  drinks  and 
food.  The  weary  laborer  finds  momentary  pleasure  in 
alcohol,  tobacco,  opium,  coffee  or  tea,  and  resorts  to 
their  use.  Nature  requires  simply  rest,  that  she  may 
recuperate,  but  there  is  not  time  to  rest.  The  pleasure 
of  years  is  sacrificed  to  that  of  a  moment.  The  stream 
of  life  is  changed  in  its  course,  and  the  appetite  is  no 
longer  to  be  trusted. 

HABITS. 

When  such  habits  are  thoroughly  formed  it  becomes 
difficult,  if  not  impossible  to  break  from  them,  because 
there  is  an  organic  change  corresponding,  which  places 
the  body  in  relation  to  the  habit  in  a  similar  position  as 
that  it  naturally  holds  to  an  appetite.  Thus  the  habit 
of  drinking  alcoholic  beverages  once  established,  every 
portion  of  the  body  becomes  adjusted  to  the  presence  of 
alcohol.  The  victim  may  fully  comprehend  his  situa- 
tion, and  with  his  whole  will  strive  against  it.  In  some 
instances  the  will  may  be  strong  enough  to  control  the 


204  THE    ETHICS    OF    SCIENCE. 

desires  until  the  natural  action  is  established  ;  in  others 
it  will  fail.  The  artificial  state  demands  alcohol  just 
as  the  natural  demands  water,  and  in  the  same  manner 
goes  on  increasing  in  urgency.  The  withdrawing  of 
each  particle  of  alcohol  increases  the  fierceness  of  desire, 
until  the  will  is  overborne. 

TEMPERANCE. 

The  advocates  of  temperance  should  consider  that  in- 
temperance has  two  relations  -to  the  mind  and  the  body 
— and  not  trust  exclusively,  as  they  do,  to  mental  influ- 
ence. It  is  a  disease,  and  should  be  treated  as  such. 
The  body  should  be  purified  and  sustained  by  healthful 
diet  and  tonics  that  take  the  place  of  alcohol,  until  a 
natural  action  is  established.  Then  appeals  to  the  Will 
and  morality  may  be  made  with  prospect  of  being  heeded. 

The  inebriate  is  made  the  victim  of  false  views  of 
mental  and  moral  philosophy.  It  is  said  he  knows  bet- 
ter, and  can  reform  if  ho  would.  He  may  have  in- 
herited a  constitutional  tendency  craving  alcohol  more 
insatiately  than  others  crave  water,  or  ignorantly  he 
may  have  induced  such  a  state.  Is  he  to  be  censured  ? 
Kather  should  he  receive  unmeasured  pity. 

By  over-indulgence  the  Appetites  defeat  their  end, 
which  is  happiness.  Whenever  they  are  followed  for 
their  own  sakes  they  invade  the  province  of  higher 
faculties,  and  not  only  is  the  result  ruinous  to  those 
faculties,  but  to  the  Appetites  themselves.  The  pleas- 
ure of  eating  bestowed  by  hunger  is  changed  to  disgust 
by  over-indulgence,  and  dyspepsia,  gout,  and  a  thou- 
sand ills  and  pains  follow. 

A  true  system  of  morals  must  begin  with  diet,  and  by 
that  highest  law  we  can  regulate  our  conduct  as  regards 
our  food.  As  hunger  was  given  to  compel  attention  to 
physical  waste,  when  that  is  met  it  is  sufficient ;  further 
gratification  is  not  desirable,  and  is  opposed  to  physical 
well  being  and  mental  growth. 

ACTIVITY   AND    REST. 

These  are  mutually  complementary.  After  activity 
there  is  a  requisition  for  rest,  which  becomes  more  and 


THE   APPETITES.  205 

more  imperative,  and  after  the  system  has  recuperated 
by  rest,  activity  becomes  equally  essential.  The  mutual 
alternation  of  these  is  best  seen  in  childhood. 

SLEEP. 

The  perfection  of  rest  is  sleep.  It  is  then  that  tho 
rebuilding  processes  are  most  active.  The  worn  tissues 
are  repaired  and  the  waste  products  excreted.  The  day 
is  the  season  of  activity,  the  negative  night  of  repose. 
The  magnetic  state  of  the  earth  is  represented  by  that 
of  man.  How  much  rest,  how  much  action,  how  much 
sleep  ?  These  questions  are  answered  by  the  natural  de- 
mands of  the  system.  Sleep  is  for  the  purpose  of  re- 
storing lost  energy,  but  if  prolonged  it  may  leave  too 
little  time  for  the  use  of  what  is  gained.  Activity  may 
overreach  itself,  and  destroy  the  organism  on  which  it 
depends. 

THE   SEXUAL   IMPULSE 

has  for  its  sole  end  the  perpetuation  of  the  species. 
That  this  function  be  unfailingly  performed  and  not 
obstructed,  it  is  impelled  by  physical  pleasures,  as  in  the 
case  of  hunger  and  thirst,  and  made  cumulative  in 
energy.  "What  in  brutes  is  a  blind  instinctive  impulse, 
in  man  becomes  sublimated  and  joined  with  the  highest 
and  purest  affections.  We  shall  again  revert  to  this  sub- 
ject when  we  consider  the  social  relations,  but  here,  in 
this  preliminary  discussion  of  the  motives  which  actu- 
ate man,  what  rule  have  we  as  a  trusty  guide?  It  is  the 
same  we  applied  to  the  other  Appetites.  Having  ascer- 
tained their  true  sphere,  purpose,  and  object,  the 
natural  accomplishment  of  that  purpose  is  right,  and 
conducive  of  the  greatest  happiness.  If,  then,  this  be 
the  end  of  the  sexual  impulse,  having  fulfilled  it,  noth- 
ing more  is  required  of  it ;  and  if  gratified  for  itself 
alone,  it  encroaches  on  the  province  of  higher  faculties, 
to  which  the  energies  it  wantonly  wastes  most  justly 
belong. 

Unrestrained,  unguided,  it  is  the  cause  of  the  most 
terrible  crimes,  and  from  it  flows  a  great  share  of  the 


206  THE    ETHICS   OF   SCIENCE. 

misery  and  degradation  of  the  world.  The  force  which 
it  exerts  is  drawn  away  from  the  intellect  and  mentis 
and  flows  through  the  channels  of  the  Passions,  all  of 
which  are  intensified.  To  eat  and  multiply  is  the  end 
of  animal  being,  and  when  man  yields  to  the  same  im- 
pulses he  becomes  an  animal,  more  debased  and  brutal 
in  the  proportion  his  enslaved  intellect  furnishes  the 
means. 

DEPLOKABLE   IGNORANCE. 

In  no  department  of  the  science  of  man  does  such 
lamentable  ignorance  prevail  as  in  this,  which  is  con- 
sidered impolite  and  of  too  delicate  a  nature  to  men- 
tion. Yet  the  well  being  of  the  present  and  of  the 
numberless  generations  of  the  future  depend  on  its 
proper  understanding.  When  we  consider  the  degrada- 
tion, disease,  misery,  and  spiritual  death  which  follows 
uncontrolled  Appetite,  the  necessity  of  knowledge  is 
convincingly  shown.  The  simoon,  withering,  blasting, 
is  not  more  terrible  than  the  life  of  debauch,  which\ 
blights  every  pure  and  noble  aspiration,  brands  the  face 
with  the  mark  of  shame,  fills  the  body  with  arrows  of 
pain,  and  destroys  the  spirit.  Pleasure  in  its  lowest 
sphere  defeats  itself  by  its  own  selfishness.  The  fire 
that  gently  warmed  has  burned  the  dwelling,  and  ashes 
only  remain. 

What  in  itself  is  pure,  becomes  the  cesspool  of  abomi- 
nation, a  Pandora's  box,  out  of  which  unmentionable 
sufferings  flow  in  never-ending  streams.  To  arrest  the 
cause  of  misery,  man  must  know  the  laws  of  his  nature, 
and  become  impressed  with  the  necessity  of  obedi- 
ence. He  must  learn  to  fulfil  the  law  not  because 
pleasing  to  any  one  else,  but  because  such  obedience  is 
a  necessity  of  his  constitution,  and  the  supreme  good. 

It  is  better  that  the  appetites  be  controlled  through 
fear  than  not  at  all.  Better  that  punishment  frighten 
than  reckless  indulgence.  Hence  the  force  of  public 
opinion,  religious  influences,  or  legislation,  are  better 
tnan  license.  But  these  are  only  expedients  to  prepare 
the  way  for  self-government,  which  is  based  on  knowl- 
edge, and  emanates  from  the  superior  faculties. 


SELFISH    PKOPE^SITIES.  207 

THE    EULE   WE    HAVE   GIVEN" 

as  applicable  to  all  the  Appetites,  when  comprehended 
and  applied,  leaves  these  builders  each  its  sphere  of 
activity,  restricted  and  clearly  defined.  Unrestrained 
in  the  animal,  they  are  self  satisfying  and  work  no  mis- 
chief, for  the  animal  has  no  higher  end  than  their  grati- 
fication, and  urged  by  no  conflicting  impulses,  is  held 
true  to  the  laws  of  its  being.  Man  has  higher  purposes, 
and  whenever  the  Appetites  oppose  these  or  conflict 
with  -their  perfect  expression  they  have  transcended 
their  sphere,  and  there  should  be  no  doubt  as  to  the 
right,  or  the  course  from  which  the  greatest  good  may 
be  expected. 


V. 

•• 

SELFISH   PBOPENSITIES. 

THESE  are  love  of  life,  combativeness,  destructivenesp, 
secretiveness,  love  of  self,  love  of  wealth,  and  cautious- 
ness. They  are  held  in  common  with  the  animal  world. 
The  fierce  onslaught  of  the  tiger  illustrates  combative- 
ness  and  destructiveness  ;  the  squirrel  lays  by  a  hoard 
of  food  like  a  miser  ;  the  fox  is  secretive  ;  the  hare  is 
cautious  ;  the  peacock  is  vain  of  approbation.  From 
the  combination  of  these  passions  arise  the  composite 
known  as  pride,  envy,  jealousy,  malice,  hatred,  resent- 
ment, falsehood,  and  deceit.  The  passions  are  necessary 
to  unite  the  spiritual  with  the  physical.  They  are  the 
driving  power,  which  enables  the  spirit  to  actualize  in 
the  physical  world  its  ideal,  and  in  this  sphere  they  re- 
sult in  good  and  happiness. 

The  love  of  life  is  conspicuous  throughout  the  ranks 
of  sentient  beings.  The  preservation  of  existence,  for 
its  own  sake,  calls  into  action  the  play  of  all  their  facul- 
ties. Though  suffering  the  pangs  of  most  unbearable 
pain,  and  life  is  an  excessive  burden  through  disease  or 
want,  yet  death  is  regarded  with  unspeakable  aversion. 


208  TUE    ETHICS    OF    SCIENCE. 

Life  is  sweet  under  the  most  unfavorable  conditions. 
The  criminal  prefers  the  perpetual  dungeon  to  death. 
In  animals  it  is  pure  in  its  expression,  for  they 
can  know  nothing  of  death,  and  they  live  for  the  sake 
of  living.  But  man  may  regard  death  either  as  cessa- 
tion of  life  or  as  the  gateway  to  immortality.  The 
latter  idea  is  the  perfect  fruitage  of  this  propensity.  To 
him  the  desire  is  intensified  by  his  knowledge  of  death. 
Human  life  becomes  sacred  and  surrounded  by  the 
strongest  safeguards  of  law.  To  take  it  is  the  capital 
crime,  transcending  all  others. 

Though  life  be  a  good  of  greatest  value,  when  its 
preservation  is  gained  through  dishonor  it  is  at  too 
great  cost.  Here  the  superlative  qualities  of  man  assert 
his  humanity.  The  animal  will  blindly  risk  its  life  in 
defence  of  itself  or  offspring,  but  man,  fully  knowing 
the  consequences,  risks  his  life  for  an  ideal  which  per- 
haps has  no  relation  to  himself.  The  grandest  examples 
of  history  are  the  exaltation  of  man  above  selfishness, 
where  he  lays  down  his  life  for  principle.  The  patriot 
dying  for  his  country,  the  martyr  for  the  truth,  are 
never  forgotten  by  admiring  generations.  The  story  of 
Thermopylae  is  ever  new,  the  calm  decision  of  Polycarp 
and  Socrates  the  themes  of  undying  song.  We  feel 
that  the  men  who  willingly  give  their  all  for  their 
highest  convictions  of  right  and  duty  have  escaped  the 
motives  of  ordinary  mortals,  and  allied  themselves  to 
the  Supreme. 

HAVE   WE  A  RIGHT  TO   TAKE   OUR   OWN   LIVES  ? 

If  it  be  better  to  suffer  martyrdom  than  live  dishon- 
ored, is  it  not  better  when  already  dishonored  to  escape 
by  self-inflicted  death  ?  In  other  words,  have  we  a  right 
over  our  lives?  Life  being  for  its  uses,  and  as  no  use 
can  come  of  suicide,  we  would  by  the  latter  defeat  its 
purpose.  If  we  do  not  destroy  life,  but  only  the  body, 
we  would  gain  nothing,  and  would  lose  the  essential 
training  of  the  existence  from  which  we  escaped. 
Overborne  by  burdens  and  duties,  we  selfishly  cast  them 
on  others.  The  patriot  and  martyr  die  for  others,  but 


SELFISH    PROPENSITIES.  209 

the  suicide  dies  for  himself  ;  while  they  are  actuated  by 
the  loftiest  motives,  he  is  by  the  most  ignoble  ;  they  die 
in  strength,  he  in  weakness. 

Man  has  no  right  -over  his  own  life,  for  he  is  part  of 
the  social  body,  to  which  he  owes  allegiance,  and  he  is 
not  to  judge  when  the  circumstances  environing  him 
warrant  the  step.  True  courage  meets  and  grapples 
with  fate,  and  if  defeated,  dies  in  harness.  The  Roman 
who  cast  himself  on  his  sword  was  educated  into  a 
wrong  conception  of  life  and  its  duties.  That  we  have 
life  shows  that  we  should  maintain  it  in  its  integrity. 
The  desire  for  existence  is  not  only  a  product  of  health, 
but  is  a  leading  cause  of  its  maintenance  ;  when  we  lose 
the  desire  to  live,  our  earthly  bodies  are  nearly  fallen 
from  our  spirits,  and  we  soon  depart. 

It  is  right  to  love  life — not  for  its  own  sake,  but  for 
its  highest  object,  which  that  love  may  never  overstep. 
Thus,  while  an  animal  flees  from  danger  and  is  praised 
for  so  doing,  having  neither  honor  nor  principle  to  main- 
tain, a  man  who  deserts  his  post  of  duty  is  execrated 
and  despised,  because  his  love  of  life  dominates  superior 
motives.  "  Though  you  tear  my  limbs  asunder,  throw 
me  into  the  den  of  wild  beasts,  or  give  my  body  to  the 
flames,  I  will  never  deny  what  my  conscience  tells  me 
is  the  truth,"  grandly  declares  the  martyr  in  the  pres- 
ence of  death,  when  the  spirit  is  exalted  above  the  plane 
of  physical  life. 

COMBATIVENESS   AND   DESTRUCTIVENESS. 

The  antagonistic  and  destroying  propensities,  when 
allied  with  love  of  property  and  the  appetites,«are  the 
cause  of  crime.  In  savage  man,  and  in  that  sub- 
stratum present  in  the  most  polished  civilization,  the  pro- 
pensities predominate,  and  this  condition  is  known  as 
human  depravity.  It,  however,  is  not  total  depravity. 
Man  in  his  lowest  estate  never  reaches  that  depth.  If 
there  be  a  totally  depraved  being,  it  is  one  without 
moral  or  intellectual  faculties — in  other  words,  a  brute  ; 
but  we  cannot  say  that  they  are  depraved,  for  they  have 
not  fallen  from  a  higher  plane,  and  they  are  true  to 


210  THE    ETHICS    OF   SCIENCE. 

their  constitution.  Only  man,  who  is  actuated  by  two 
motives,  a  higher  and  a  lower,  by  yielding  to  the  lower 
can  become  depraved.  That  he  advances  out  of  this 
lower  to  a  higher  plane  proves  that  he  has  the  germs  of 
goodness  within  him,  that  he  naturally  inclines  in  that 
direction,  and  is  not  totally  bad. 

There  are  obstacles  to  be  surmounted,  difficulties  to  be 
combated,  burdens  to  be  borne  in  this  physical  life,  and 
these  propensities  have  a  wide  field.  Of  themselves 
they  are  ferocious  and  terrible.  They  strew  the  battle- 
field with  the  dead,  and  darken  the  heavens  with  the 
smoke  of  ruined  cities.  Combined  with  reason,  they 
grapple  with  the  forces  of  nature,  tame  the  lightnings, 
and  harness  fire  with  bands  of  steel  to  ship  and  car, 
and  compel  the  brute  elements  to  toil. 

At  first  man  was  alone  and  defenceless  in  the  wilder- 
ness. The  forest  must  be  felled,  the  wild  beasts  de- 
stroyed. He  was  surrounded  by  destruction,  and  his 
life  was  one  of  incessant  combat.  To  endure  this  strug- 
gle his  propensities  were  predominant.  He  would  have 
been  sadly  defeated  had  they  not  been.  When  the  wild 
beasts  were  destroyed,  he  found  in  man  himself  a  more 
subtle  and  invincible  foe.  War,  first  caused  by  the  pro- 
pensities, stimulated  the  intellect  until  it  at.  last  con- 
quered  them,  and  thus  removed  the  principal  source  of 
war. 

LOVE   OF  PROPEETY. 

"  Take  not  heed  for  the  morrow,"  can  never  be  actu- 
alized in  this  life.  It  is  saying  we  should  not  have 
forethought,  which  is  as  impossible  as  undesirable. 
Property  is  the  result  of  labor,  and  a  reserved  force, 
which  we  can  use  long  after  the  labor  has  been  ex- 
pended. Property  is  capital,  which  is  concrete  labor, 
without  which  abject  poverty  would  prevail,  and  ad- 
vancement would  be  impossible.  It  is  essential  to  hu- 
man welfare  that  there  be  constant  accretion  to  wealth, 
that  labor  accumulate  more  than  is  required  to  sus- 
tain it.  The  squirrel  teaches  this  lesson,  for  as  nuts 
do  not  last  the  whole  year,  when  they  are  plenty  it 
gathers  for  the  winter.  The  bee  fills  its  hive  when  the 


SELFISH    PROPENSITIES.  211 

flowers  bloom  against  the  time  when  there  are  no 
flowers.  Next  to  the  love  of  life  is  the  love  of  the 
means  of  sustaining  it.  This  is  the  legitimate  function 
of  this  propensity,  and  is  entirely  praiseworthy. 

How  much  it  shall  grasp  and  under  what  circum- 
stances must  be  determined  by  the  spiritual  faculties. 
If  a  hive  of  bees  should  gather  all  the  honey  for  many 
miles,  and  fill  their  comb  with  a  thousand  times  more 
than  they  want  to  preserve  them  through  the  winter, 
we  would  say  they  grasped  too  much,  especially  if  by 
so  doing  many  other  ssvarms  were  unable  to  secure  any, 
and  were  starved.  The  wealth  of  the  world  is  so  limited 
that  when  one  grasps  more  than  is  necessary,  otheis 
are  robbed  of  their  dues.  Avarice  is  unrestrained  de- 
sire for  wealth,  and  in  its  selfishness  is  utterly  debas- 
ing. The  miser  is  the  mock  of  humanity  ;  for,  making 
wealth  the  end,  he  defeats  the  object  of  wealth,  which  is 
its  uses. 

EIGHTS    OF   LABOR. 

To  gain  wealth  that  it  may  be  employed  in  works  of 
benevolence-,  charity,  or  culture  is  as  noble  as  hoarding 
is  ignoble.  Avarice  is  purely  selfish.  Its  greed  has  no 
reference  to  the  good  or  rights  of  others.  It  knows  no 
law  but  its  own  insatiate  desire.  Eutering  into  gov- 
ernment, it  legislates  for  its  own  advantage,  seizing 
every  opportunity  to  grasp  and  retain.  If  wealth  be 
the  result  of  labor,  no  statement  can  be  more  self-evi- 
dent than  that  the  laborer  has  the  right  to  the  products 
of  his  labor,  and  that  no  one  has  a  right  to  what  he  has 
not  earned.  Property  acquired  by  fraud,  deception,  or 
iu  any  way  without  a  just  equivalent,  is  not  held  by' 
right.  And  furthermore,  the  devotion  of  a  portion  of 
such  ill-gotten  gain  to  worthy  purposes  does  not  right 
the  wrong. 

If,  then,  wealth  be  acquired,  it  must  be  for  the  noble 
uses  it  will  subserve,  and  not  by  the  sacrifice  of  the 
higher  sentiments.  It  must  be  gained  honorably  and 
used  honorably. 

In  America  circumstances  have  awakened  this  pro- 
pensity into  unparalleled  activity,  and  money  is  the  god 


212  THE    ETHICS   OF   SCIENCE. 

of  the  masses.  As  money  has  power  to  purchase  almost 
everything  the  mind  can  desire,  it  is  sought  with  ab- 
sorbing eagerness.  Blinded  by  the  glitter  of  wealth, 
the  means  of  its  acquisition  are  not  questioned.  Sharp 
bargains,  usurious  interests,  remorselessly  collected 
rents,  the  dark  ways  of  trade,  the  deception  of  igno- 
rance, are  not  regarded  as  altogether  dishonorable,  and 
are  winked  at  by  society.  Success  is  measured  by 
money-getting.  Get  money  first,  get  money  last,  and 
by  all  means  get  money  is  the  watchword  of  the  times. 
It  is  forgotten  that  it  can  be  purchased  at  too  great 
cost,  and  always  is  when  the  least  sentiment  of  right 
and  justice,  honor  or  integrity  is  disregarded. 

SELF-LOVE. 

Self-love  or  self-esteem  is  allied  to  the  love  of  power 
and  of  the  respect  of  others.  The  analysis  of  this  group 
is  difficult  and  of  little  practical  importance  in  relation 
to  this  discussion. 

Self-love  is  essential  to  self-preservation,  and  when 
rightly  directed  is  a  strong  ally  of  justice.  The  love 
of  self  then  prevents  any  act  which  is  ignoble  or  wrong. 
Alone  this  propensity  becomes  selfishness,  one  of  the 
most  contemptible  in  human,  nature.  It  is  the  antipode 
of  spirituality.  The  selfish  man  destroys  by  his  selfish- 
ness the  pleasures  he  might  receive  through  the  higher 
faculties.  The  disappearance  of  self-love  in  love  for 
others  has  always  been  held  as  angelic,  and  selfishness 
as  utterly  at  variance  with  ideal  character.  Its  sup- 
pression, at  least  in  appearance,  has  been  the  aim  of 
polite  culture  and  refinement,  and  its  presence  is  stig- 
matized and  scorned,  even  most  bitterly,  by  the  selfish 
themselves. 

It  is  natural  and  right  for  man  to  love  power.  It  is 
a  function  of  the  Will,  for  to  will  presupposes  the  power 
of  willing.  Man  delights  in  the  control  of  matter  by 
mind,  the  obedience  of  the  elements  to  his  will.  This 
is  the  legitimate  sphere  of  this  propensity.  His  selfish- 
ness enslaves  others,  and  ignoring  right  and  justice,  he 
becomes  a  tyrant.  Out  of  this  love  of  power,  blindly 


SELFISH    PROPENSITIES.  213 

directed,  has  grown  the  governments  of  the  world  and 
their  kaleidoscopic  changes,  which  make  the  sum  of  his- 
tory. Love  of  power  and  ambition  are  the  motives  of 
the  conqueror,  like  Alexander  or  Napoleon,  who  count 
nothing  worthy  unless  possessed  by  themselves,  and  are 
infatuated  by  praise,  which  men  call  glory.  Over  the 
smoking  battle-field  they  force  their  way,  forgetting 
that  every  groan  and  pang  of  pain  is  recorded  against 
them  in  the  black  page  of  their  future.  Of  the  mill- 
ions who  have  made  ambition  and  love  of  glory  the  end 
of  their  lives,  a  breath  will  name  those  who  have  suc- 
ceeded in  gaining  mention  in  history.  Far  more  have 
reached  renown  through  quiet  adhesion  to  right  and 
unswerving  justice.  The  hero-worshipping  age  is  of 
the  past,  with  its  dead  gods  and  broken  shrines. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  foregoing  that  the  propensi- 
ties are  essential  to  man's  well  being,  and  in  their  true 
sphere  pure  and  right.  That  sphere  is  assigned  by 
their  position.  As  they  are  superior  to  the  Appetites 
and  inferior  to  the  intellectual  and  moral  nature,  their 
sphere  is  for  purest  and  truest  manifestation  of  the  lat- 
ter. Whenever  they  obstruct  or  distort  they  fail  in 
their  functions.  They  are  for  the  spiritual  nature,  not 
the  spiritual  nature  for  them. 

The  man  who  in  old  age  says  life  is  vanity  pro- 
nounces his  own  sentence.  He  plainly  says  that  he  has 
not  been  actuated  by  the  proper  motives,  that  he  has 
been  the  slave  of  his  Appetites  and  Propensities  ;  for 
life  should  be  like  the  snowball,  rolling  forward  to 
gather  to  itself  and  grow  round,  large  and  complete.  If 
it  shrivels  and  shrinks  with  advancing  age,  it  is  because 
of  wrong  living.  The  individual  who  has  no  higher 
purpose  than  worldly  pleasure,  when  the  body  on  which 
this  depends  fails,  has  nothing  on  which  to  lean  ;  the 
moral  consciousness  is  idiotic  ;  the  dwarfed  spirit  goes 
down  to  the  grave  pitiably  moaning,  with  incoherent 
utterances.  Most  deplorable  of  all  spectacles  presented 
in  the  world  is  a  spirit  inherently  glorious,  and  capa- 
ble of  infinite  achievement,  thus  enslaved  by  desires, 
sinking  below  the  horizon  of  earth-life  in  black  clouds 
of  despair.  YvThat  the  ages  of  immortal  life  have  in  store 


214  THE    ETHICS    OF   SCIENCE. 

for  that  spirit  may  relieve  the  sad  picture,  which  has 
supported  the  belief  in  inherent  depravity  and  eternal 
punishment.  In  what  contrast  stands  the  examples  of 
those  who  have  cultivated  the  intellect  and  morals,  and 
hy  them  regulated  their  lives  !  As  of  these,  Ilumboldt 
furnishes  the  most  conspicuous  illustration.  Retaining 
his  mental  powers  in  all  their  vigor  until  the  hour  of 
his  death,  when  he  departed  saying,  "  How  grand  the 
sunlight;  it  seems  to  beckon  earth  to  heaven  !"  prophetic 
of  the  spiritual  light  so  soon  to  break  on  his  existence. 

All  this  side  of  man's  nature,  which  he  holds  in  com- 
mon with  animals  and  relates  exclusively  to  the  body, 
decays  with  it.  In.  health  and  maturity  they  make  the 
ordinary  every-day  character,  and  the  man  passes  among 
his  fellows  as  capable.  But  his  capacity  rests  almost 
exclusively  on  this  physical  life.  The  spiritual  side  re- 
ceives little  attention,  and  is  more  susceptible  and  active 
in  childhood  than  at  threescore  and  ten.  It  follows 
that  when  the  earth-side  decays,  the  man  is  less  than  a 
child.  He  "loses  his  mind,"  and  enters  his  second 
childhood.  This  is  not  a  necessity.  It  is  a  result  of 
giving  life  over  to  earthly  pursuits  at  the  expense  of 
the  spirit.  When  the  mind  is  lightly  cultivated,  and  a 
just  harmony  between  it  and  the  body  preserved,  it  re- 
mains growing  in  vigor  with  age,  and  at  death  is  not 
even  in  appearance  like  a  lamp  extinguished.  In  the 
life  beyond,  the  errors  of  this  will  be  righted,  and 
freed  from  the  weight  of  physical  necessities,  the  spirit 
will  reach  an  ideal  of  which  mortal  cannot  dream  ;  but 
even  then  will  the  primary  lost  remain  unrestored. 


VI. 

LOVE. 

WE  enter  a  new  realm.  That  of  the  animal  is  rapidly 
disappearing,  and  a  new  motive  becomes  apparent. 
This  motive  is  Love,  the  antipode  of  selfishness,  hold- 
ing a  similar  relation  to  the  spirit  that  heat  and  mag- 


LOVE.  215 

notism  do  to  the  physical  world  ;  being  their  type  and 
correspondence.  All  that  we  have  hitherto  considered 
lias  related  to  the  existence  of  the  individual ;  has  been 
drawing  toward  self  for  the  individual's  exclusive  bene- 
fit. We  now  pass  the  limitation  of  these  lower  propen- 
sities, and  find  the  exact  reverse,  a  flowing  out.  Love, 
in  the  wide  definition  of  that  word,  flows  out  from  the 
mind  in  a  continuous  tide,  as  the  warmth  from  the  sun. 
When  combined  with  the  Appetites,  it  presents  its 
lowest  manifestation  in  conjugal  affinity  ;  arises  to  affec- 
tion for  its  offspring,  friendship,  and  ultimates  in  the 
perfect  benevolence  which  embraces  not  only  man,  but 
all  forms  of  sentient  life.  Full  of  truth  is  the  expres- 
sion, "  God  is  love,"  meaning  that  it  is  the  foundation 
of  all  things.  Benevolence  has  been  made  to  cover  this 
wide  field,  and  Love  one  of  its  special  manifestations  ; 
but  such  a  classification  is  confusing  and  entirely 
arbitrary.  Love  is  always  benevolent.  It  always  seeks 
the  good  of  others.  It  hoards  not  for  itself.  It  is  self- 
forgetful  and  self-denying.  From  it  flows  the  so-called 
virtues,  gentle  affections,  and  humane  emotions. 

Gratitude,  which  makes  us  thankful  for  bestowed 
favors  and  desirous  of  rendering  the  same  to  others  ; 
Mercy,  which  overlooks  offences  ;  Pity,  which  feels  for 
the  distressed  ;  Humility,  which  questions  our  abilities 
and  worth,  and  yields  the  first  place  to  others,  are  out- 
growths of  Love.  To  it  belongs  Justice,  the  sense  of 
merited  reward  and  punishment,  the  absolute  giving  to 
each  and  all  their  deserts,  and  the  sense  of  the  sacred- 
ness  of  truth.  In  the  trustingness  of  Love  arises  faith, 
the  reliance  on  the  testimony  of  others,  which,  unsup- 
ported by  the  Intellect,  becomes  credulity,  and  fosters 
superstition,  maintains  bigotry,  and  defies  knowledge. 

Love  is  the  social  element,  and  nature  has  so  exquis- 
itely organized  man  that  he  is  surrounded  by  an  atmos- 
phere through  and  by  which  its  attractions  and  repul- 
sions are  expressed.  As  animals  are  drawn  together  in 
flocks  and  herds,  men  unite  in  social  life.  Half  the 
joys  of  existence  flow  from  the  amenities  of  friendship. 
To  be  true,  it  must  be  founded  on  similarity  of  souls, 
and  be  free  from  selfishness.  To  use  one's  friends  for 


216  THE    ETHICS   OF    SCIEXCE. 

selfish  purposes  is  to  lose  them.  The  attachments 
formed  on  the  highlands  where  self  enters  not  are  only 
lasting. 

We  may  think,  and  no  second  being  need  enter  the 
current  of  our  thoughts,  for  our  ideas  may  be  purely 
abstract.  We  cannot  love  or  feel  any  of  the  innumera- 
ble changing  sensations  which  it  includes  without  an 
objective  personality  ;  Justice,  Mercy,  Benevolence, 
Charity,  Pity,  Devotedness,  go  outside  of  ourselves. 

It  is  claimed  that  all  these  conceptions  have  grown 
up  out  of  experience  ;  that  man  knew  nothing  of 
them  until  he  learned  by  observation  that  honesty, 
justice,  charity  were  the  best  policy.  He  trimmed  his 
course  by  expediency,  until  thereby  there  grew  up  in. 
his  mind  a  sense  of  absolute  Right,  Justice,  Benevo- 
lence, and  the  other  virtues.  This  is  simply  referring 
to  the  Intellect  the  promptings  of  Love,  and  then  de- 
claring the  Intellect  itself  to  be  an  effect  of  long  ac- 
cumulating forces.  This,  however,  does  not  affect  this 
argument.  Whatever  may  be  the  cause  of  mind,  or 
however  the  mental  manifestations  may  be  classified, 
the  Virtues  have  a  distinct  place,  nor  can  it  be  success- 
fully shown  that  they  are  resultants  of  experience,  and 
hence  entirely  selfish  in  their  inception.  We  cannot 
believe  that  these  virtues,  which  in  their  perfection 
make  man  angelic,  began  in  utter  selfishness  ;  that  the 
experience  of  the  inconvenience  of  falsehood  taught  man 
truthfulness,  when  he  had  no  sense  of  what  truthfulness 
was,  is  contradictory.  Light  could  never  be  known 
were  it  not  for  the  receiving  eye,  nor  could  truth  be 
known  unless  there  was  a  receptive  faculty  of  truth  in 
man's  nature.  We  believe  that  because  there  was  light 
in  the  world,  the  living  beings  it  evoked  were  modified 
by  its  rays  ;  that  the  diffused  nerve  tissue,  equally  sen- 
sitive, became  more  sensitive  in  some  one  point,  and 
from  this  starting-point  growth  proceeded,  until  an  eye 
was  beaten  out  of  living  matter  by  waves  of  light.  So 
the  principles  of  truth  and  justice  are  comprehended  by 
man,  because  he  embodies  the  essence  of  these  virtues. 

Cunning,  fraud,  deception,  perfidy  are  tolerated  in 
the  animal,  because  they  do  not  conflict  with  the  pur- 


LOVE.  217 

poses  of  its  life.  In  faci,,  they  are  essential  to  its  exist- 
ence. They  do  not  defeat  higher  purposes,  for  it  has 
none.  Man,  however,  has  somewhat  more  than  exist- 
ence to  strive  for.  Its  preservation  is  undesirable  when 
united  with  dishonor  and  falsehood.  The  immortal 
spirit  claims  mastery  over  the  flesh,  and  scorns  its 
limitations  and  degradation. 

Granting  Justice,  Benevolence,  etc.,  are  products  of 
accumulated  observation,  we  must  at  once  allow  that 
they  have  become  factors  of  the  mind,  and  the  argu- 
ment again  resolves  itself  into  its  consideration  as  a 
unity. 

The  theory  of  evolution  leads  directly  to  this  conclu- 
sion. Organs  grow  into  exquisite  form  after  a  given 
type  by  the  accumulation  of  advantages,  so  faculties  of 
the  mind  increase  by  the  accretion  of  observations.  As 
the  perfecting  of  physical  organs  tends  to  unitize  the 
being,  so  the  perfecting  of  mental  qualities  unitizes  the 
mind.  As  the  foundation  of  physical  man  is  laid  in  the 
interminable  series  of  forms  beneath  him,  so  is  the 
spiritual.  Because  he  is  a  spirit,  his  mind  reaches  into 
and  grasps  spiritual  truths.  This  gives  him  a  tendency 
toward  virtue,  and  repugnance  to  \ice.  That  man  has 
such  tendency  is  proved  by  history.  Had  he  not  had, 
there  could  have  been  no  progress  more  than  in  the  ox. 
The  virtues  are  a  part  of  his  organization,  and  as  such 
impel  him  in  their  pursuit.  He  loves  to  be  good  and 
to  do  good,  and  countless  examples  of  the  opposite  do 
not  invalidate  this  claim.  A  whole  race  of  people  in- 
clined to  evil  without  tendency  to  the  good  would  never 
become  good,  nor  would  an  individual  ever  do  a  good 
act.  Nor  can  we  escape  this  conclusion  by  saying  that 
from  time  to  time  individuals  far  better  than  the  aver- 
age arise  and  teach  higher  truths  ;  nor  by  claiming 
that,  as  man  is  incapable  himself  of  the  discovery  of 
moral  truth,  he  must  have  received  and  has  received  a 
revelation.  If  such  perception  is  not  in  human  nature, 
no  individual  can  acquire  it  or  receive  a  revelation 
more  than  a  sightless  person  can  understand  the  beau- 
ties of  light. 

The  fact,  revealed  in  the  interminable  pages  of  his- 


218  THE    ETHICS    OF    SCIENCE. 

tory,  that  man  has  advanced  in  morality  proves  that  lie 
has  within  himself  the  germinal  power  of  growth  in 
that  direction. 

This  perception  is  of  the  Reason  and  its  higher  ex- 
pression in  Conscience.  The  first  of  these  qualities,  the 
one  which  often  gives  name  and  characterizes  the  group, 
is 

BENEVOLENCE. 

It  is  the  antipode  of  selfishness.  Its  office  and  de- 
light is  to  bestow.  It  pictures  the  Infinite  on  a  throne, 
from  which,  as  light  from  a  central  sun,  uninterruptedly 
flows  boundless  streams  of  beneficence.  Uncontrolled, 
it  is  like  the  shower  that  falls  alike  on  the  just  and  un- 
just, the  parched  desert  and  the  flood.  Its  manifesta- 
tion, even  thus  indiscriminate,  has  a  charm,  for  it  shows 
how  far  removed  human  actions  are  toward  the  spirit- 
ual, the  unselfish,  and  such  actions  are  always  beauti- 
ful, however  undeserving  the  object  of  their  bestowal. 
Better  to  suffer  ten  impositions  than  turn  a  needy  one 
away,  is  a  proverb  founded  on  this  love.  The  public 
charities  which  have  grown  out  of  this  faculty  are 
productive  of  great  individual  good,  but  it  has  been 
questioned  if  they  are  of  any  real  benefit  to  the  com- 
munity. They  can  only  reach  a  small  fraction  of  want 
and  wretchedness,  and  it  is  thought  better  to  devise 
some  means  whereby  all  may  be  elevated  from  degrada- 
tion. Yet  as  the  means  have  not  been  devised,  and  are 
apparently  very  remote,  we  shall  not  soon  escape  the 
demands  on  our  chanty. 

This,  however,  is  only  a  lower  form  of  Benevolence. 
Its  higher  sphere  of  activity  blends  into  the  qualities 
better  expressed  by  Love  ;  that  love  which  exists  for  its 
own  sake.  In  its  ideal  expression,  it  is  absolute  devo- 
tion to  its  object,  not  for  any  hope  of  reward  or  any 
benefit  to  self  whatever,  but  from  a  spontaneous  desire 
to  promote  the  happiness  of  others. 

In  animals  we  often  see  the  affections  exhibited  in 
great  strength,  the  conjugal,  parental,  and  fraternal 
instincts  banding  herds  and  flocks  together.  These  are, 
however,  momentary,  and  when  the  physical  necessities 


LOVE.  219 

or  occasions  pass  they  separate.  It  is  interesting  to  ob- 
serve this  dim  beginning,  and  by  it  we  learn  the  beauti- 
ful unity  of  the  world.  The  instinctive  attraction  is 
developed  into  disinterested  desire  to  promote  the  well 
being  of  others.  To  love  those  who  return  vindictive 
hate  ;  to  feel  the  same  kind  regard  and  interest  in  an 
implacable  enemy  as  in  a  friend  ;  never  to  repay  un- 
kindness  with  harsh  invective  ;  to  regard  wrong  and 
error  with  charity,  is  an  ideal  that  few  attain,  but  with 
which  we  endow  angelic  beings,  and  thus  claim  as  our 
own  highest  estate. 

/      To  be  benevolent  and  to  love  one's  own  family  or 

I  friends,  is  too  common  to  mention.     Benevolence  which 

I  goes  beyond  is  more  rare.     When  it  grasps  one's  country 

it    becomes    Patriotism,   still   selfish  and   in  a  degree 

instinctive. 

In  all  these  forms  Benevolence  does  not  rank  high  in 
the  scale  of  the  Virtues,  nor  does  it  tend  greatly  to  ele- 
vate the  mind.  The  father  who  loves  his  children  to 
idolatry,  and  will  make  for  them  any  sacrifice,  may  be 
a  hard,  exacting,  unjust  man  beyond  his  own  fireside. 
When  it  arises  from  the  family  and  grasps  mankind, 
irrespective  of  nationality  or  race ;  when  it  feels  for 
suffering  wherever  found,  and  with  self  forgetfulness 
devotes  itself  to  the  good  of  others,  Benevolence  be- 
comes Philanthropy,  its  most  angelic  expression.  It 
sends  its  Florence  Nightingales  to  bind  up  the  lacera- 
tions of  war  ;  its  Howards  into  the  dark  recesses  of 
prisons  ;  it  holds  devoted  men  to  their  posts  of  duty  in 
times  when  pestilence  is  abroad,  and  great  suffering 
crushes  the  people. 

JUSTICE 

in  the  material  universe  moves  in  the  channels  of  law. 
From  the  star  to  the  dancing  mote,  there  is  no  accident 
or  chance.  Of  these  laws  we  know  nothing  except  by 
means  of  their  phenomena.  We  know  certain  causes 
inevitably  move  to  certain  effects.  The  same  is  true  in 
the  domain  of  mind.  The  relations  individuals  sustain 
to  each  other,  in  the  family,  the  State,  and  to  the  world, 
that  each  m  ly  revolve  in  his  own  personal  sphere,  hav- 


220  THE    ETHICS   OF   SCIENCE. 

ing  all  his  rights,  yet  never  infringing  on  the  rights  of 
others,  this  is  Justice.  The  knowledge  of  what  is  just, 
and  unjust  was  not  suddenly  acquired.  Mankind  had 
at  first  a  dim  and  vague  conception  of  the  absolute 
Right.  In  their  attempts  to  enforce  Justice  they  often 
were  excessively  unjust.  But  they  felt  that  this  abso 
lute  existed,  and  that  they  must  conform  thereto.  They 
constantly  recognized  the  blindness  of  their  predeces- 
sors, and  reformed  their  laws.  The  laws  are  the  prac- 
tical expression  of  the  moral  feeling  of  a  people,  and 
determine  what  is  their  sense  of  justice.  If  the  laws 
are  severe  and  cruel,  the  people  are  equally  severe  and 
cruel  as  a  whole. 

This,  however,  may  be  observed,  law  is  conserva- 
tive, and  usually  represents  the  ideas  of  a  previous  gen- 
eration. When  its  injustice  is  felt,  it  is  the  task  of 
the  present  to  reform  the  inheritance  of  the  past.  Thus 
slowly  an  approximation  is  made  to  absolute  Justice. 
As  will  hereafter  be  shown,  in  the  discussion  of  the 
criminal  code  justice  is  too  often  used  in  the  sense  of 
vengeance.  The  penalty  for  crime  is  meted  out  as  ret- 
ribution and  not  for  the  sake  of  Justice,  and  Mercy 
tempers  Justice  not  because  Mercy  is  of  itself  just,  but 
because  of  the  pleadings  of  the  Affections.  In  our  in- 
tercourse with  our  fellow  men,  we  desire  them  to  act 
toward  us  justly — that  is,  to  respect  our  individual  rights, 
and  not  encroach  on  our  sphere  of  selfhood.  If  actu- 
ated by  high  motives,  there  is  no  difficulty  in  being  just 
to  all.  We  would  shrink  from  doing  to  another  what 
we  would  not  do  unto  ourselves. 

PASSIVE   AND   ACTIVE  VIRTUES. 

There  are  two  states  in  which  all  the  virtues  may 
exist,  a  passive  and  an  active.  A  man  may  not  do  an 
unjust  act ;  he  may  never  utter  a  falsehood,  he  may 
not  be  cruel,  yet  he  has  small  credit  if  he  has  never 
acted  justly,  truthfully,  mercifully.  He  may  exist  in  a 
passive  state,  and  while  doing  nothing  bad,  do  nothing 
good.  The  Virtues  exist,  but  in  a  latent  form  ;  they 
are  asleep,  and  the  individual  is  not  bad  simply  because 


LOVE.  221 

his  Appetites  and  Desires  are  also  asleep.  The  har- 
monious or  ideal  man  is  the  reverse.  A  thousand  de- 
sires, purposes,  and  motives  draw  him  diverse  ways,  but 
the  conscious  intellect  and  love  impel  him  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Truth  and  Right.  Does  he  stumble?  Does  he 
at  times  go  astray  ?  Yes,  but  he  rises  and  seeks  the 
right  path.  He  grows  strong  by  experience,  and  his 
feet  become  sure.  He  cannot  be  always  right,  for  he  is 
fallible,  but  he  is  conscious  that  he  must  put  forth  his 
best  endeavors.  The  young  eagle  that  would  cleave  the 
empyrean  and  soar  above  the  clouds,  at  first  may  lose 
its  balance  on  its  untried  wings.  It  is  not  by  failures 
it  learns  to  soar,  but  by  its  success.  The  child  learns 
to  walk  not  by  its  falls,  but  by  the  command  acquired 
over  its  limbs  by  repeated  efforts.  We  may  not  always 
be  just,  and  man  while  on  earth  may  never  gain  that 
high  ideal,  yet  it  is  always  before  him. 


RELIGION 

has  lamentably  failed  in  teaching  Justice.  It  has  allied 
itself  with  the  government,  and  taught  obedience  to 
Ca3sar  instead  of  to  the  commands  of  the  absolute.  It 
has  been  the  servant  of  rulers,  and  taught  the  divinity 
of  kings  and  autocrats.  It  has  disdained  the  temporal 
affairs  of  this  life  for  the  next,  and  offered  the  gloomy 
consolation  for  its  injustice,  compensation  in  the  next. 
In  fact,  its  idea  of  justice  has  been  compensation.  They 
who  mourn  in  this  life  shall  rejoice  in  the  next,  and 
they  who  receive  their  good  things  here  shall  there  re- 
ceive their  evil.  The  main  evidence  of  immortal  life,  as 
stated  by  the  popular  religion,  is  its  necessity  in  order 
to  compensate  the  injustice  received  on  earth.  This  is 
the  religious  idea  of  Justice,  though  sometimes  it 
changes  to  that  of  Vengeance.  The  Infinite  Father  is 
pictured  as  terribly  just,  and  his  divine  vengeance  on 
sinners  no  more  than  absolute  justice  !  The  awful 
picture  is  intensified  by  being  thrown  on  a  background 
of  omnipotent  wrath.  Faith,  interpreted  to  mean  be- 
lief in  dogmas,  has  been  taught  to  be  of  more  value  than 


222  THE    ETHICS   OF    SCIENCE. 

actions,  and  often  the  so-called  religion  has  been  di- 
vorced from  morality. 

Religion,  if  it  mean  anything,  means  reliance  on  the 
absolute  supremacy  of  law,  and  man's  obedience  thereto. 
He  who  obeys  is  the  religious  man.  He  obeys  from  the 
knowledge  of  those  laws  ;  because  it  is  right,  and  his 
own  good  and  happiness  and  that  of  others  depends  on 
his  so  doing.  He  is  also  impelled  by  his  higher  spirit- 
ual reason,  which  presciently  directs  him  aright  before 
he  has  come  to  a  full  knowledge  of  the  law.  He  should 
obey  not  from  selfish  motives,  but  from  his  love  of  Jus- 
tice and  Eight.  But  does  man  love  Justice  ?  Assured- 
ly, else  he  would  have  no  idea  of  that  virtue.  Men  may 
be  excessively  unjust,  but,  except  in  savages,  they  feel 
the  reprovings  of  Conscience.  They  know  that  there  is 
Justice,  and  if  they  do  not  love,  they  fear  it.  In  the 
higher  development  of  the  individual  the  love  of  Jus- 
tice becomes  a  ruling  motive.  It  is  not  asked  if  a  cer- 
tain action  will  be  beneficent  to  self,  but  is  it  just  ?  Not 
in  the  narrow,  hard  sense  of  the  word,  meaning  that  no 
one  is  wronged,  but  in  the  large,  broad  sense,  of  benefit 
conferred. 

LOVE   OF   TKDTH. 

In  the  ascending  scale  from  the  savage  to  the  civilized 
man  there  comes  a  time  when  the  mind  arises  into  the 
atmosphere  of  Truth. 

Man  learns  by  experience  the  value  of  Truth  ;  that 
falsehood  and  deceit  are  productive  of  misery.  He  finds 
that  it  is  essential  to  place  confidence  and  faith  in 
others,  and  unless  they  are  truthful,  this  is  impossible. 
It  is  interesting  to  trace  the  progressive  growth  of  this 
virtue  from  the  savage,  who  regards  falsehood  honora- 
ble, and  has  no  faith  in  his  own  brother,  his  wife  or 
child,  to  its  full  expression  in  the  ideal  angel.  Has 
heredity  stored  up  the  results  of  experience,  and  thus 
made  the  man  of  the  present  heir  to  all  that  Truth  has 
gained  over  falsehood  in  the  past  ?  This  is  undoubted- 
ly a  correct  statement,  and  equally  that  the  mind  has 
within  itself  the  faculty  of  Truth."  It  loves  Truth  for 
its  own  sake  better  than  all  else  in  the  world.  E\ery 


LOVE.  223 

effort  made  in  invention  and  discovery  arises  from  this 
intense  love.  The  astronomer  keeps  nightly  vigils,  in- 
tently gazing  into  the  depths  of  the  heavens,  that  he 
may  gain  a  knowledge  of  the  revolving  orbs  ;  the  geolo- 
gist delves  into  the  bowels  of  the  mountains,  and  perils 
his  life  in  upturning  strata,  questioning  the  rocks,  the 
fin  and  tooth,  the  bone  and  scale  of  extinct  beings  ;  the 
chemist  labors  in  his  laboratory,  failing  a  thousand 
times  to  gain  one  success  ;  the  antiquarian  and  historian 
plod  in  the  misty  labyrinths  of  the  past,  that  by  chance 
some  hidden  manuscript,  some  rude  carving  on  temple 
wall  may  shed  the  light  of  absolute  Truth  on  their 
conjectures,  and  make  plain  the  early  pages  of  his- 
tory. 

Truth  was  the  precious  gem  for  which  the  student 
burns  his  midnight  taper,  and  the  man  of  science  never 
wearies  in  the  search  ;  for  it  the  colossal  telescope 
fathoms  the  infinite  deep  of  stars,  and  the  microscope 
penetrates  into  the  infinite  abyss  of  living  forms  ;  for  it 
the  hermit  renounces  the  pleasures  of  life  and  wanders 
into  the  wilderness  ;  the  martyr  cheerfully  lays  down 
his  life,  and  the  warrior  rushes  on  certain  death.  Let 
even  the  belief  that  man  has  the  Truth  firmly  fix  itself 
in  the  mind,  and  no  sacrifice  is  too  great,  no  pain  or 
suffering  appalls,  no  ties  are  binding,  before  the  lofty 
sense  of  duty  and  obligation  it  imparts. 

The  perception  of  Absolute  Truth  is  of  slow  growth, 
and  man  has  mistaken  his  own  imperfect  sense  for  that 
absolute.  It  is  necessary  that  he  should,  else  he  would 
not  hold  his  position.  He  must  maintain  the  highest 
light  that  is  his,  for  thereby  he  gains  still  higher 
grounds.  The  same  argument  applies  as  to  Keason. 
At  first  man  arrives  at  erroneous  results,  which  proves 
not  that  he  should  cease  reasoning,  but  reason  more  ! 
In  his  ignorance  he  has  embraced  the  wildest  errors, 
and  as  an  idolator  pays  his  carven  image  the  same  de- 
votion as  the  most  spiritual  worshipper  gives  to  his 
ideal  ;  he  has  zealously  loved  and  sacrificed  himself  to 
them,  because  he  believed  he  held  the  absolute.  But 
does  this  prove  there  is  no  absolute?  Because  history 
is  a  record  of  mistakes,  and  man  has  been  the  slave  of 


224  THE    ETHICS   OF    SCIENCE. 

error  ;  because  he  has  repeatedly  made  his  eternal  hap- 
piness depend  on  the  reception  of  doctrines  he  soon  dis- 
carded for  others  held  as  tenaciously,  does  this  prove 
there  is  no  absolute  truth  ?  It  proves  the  imperfection 
of  man,  and  that  there  is  an  absolute  toward  which  he 
approximates. 

The  mistake  was  in  the  ideas  taught  in  the  past  by  de- 
signing men,  that  man  was  inclined  to  error,  and  had 
no  means  of  himself  of  arriving  at  the  Truth.  He  was 
thus  necessitated  to  receive  a  revelation  from  a  source 
purporting  to  be  divine,  as  interpreted  to  him  by  a 
class  of  self-constituted  teachers.  This  result,  which 
has  been  a  brake  on  the  wheels  of  progress,  seems  to  bo 
an  inherent  growth  of  human  nature,  for  among  all 
races  it  has  been  the  same — moral  truth  has  become 
concrete  in  holy  books,  and  a  priesthood  has  organized 
itself  as  vicegerents  of  God  on  earth,  to  interpret  hi-s 
word  and  guard  the  morals  of  the  people.  Only  after 
ages  of  struggle  have  the  people  gained  a  knowledge  of 
the  Truth  in  spite  of  obstructions,  and  emancipated 
themselves. 

The  facts  of  the  material  world  are  truths  compre- 
hended by  the  intellect.  Nature  is  never  false,  never 
changes  nor  abuses  the  faith  reposed  in  her.  If  there 
is  seeming  contradiction,  we  at  once  refer  it  to  our  un- 
derstanding. The  mind  in  the  spiritual  spheres  repre- 
sents this  harmony.  There  are  a  countless  host  of  in- 
dividuals, all  revolving  in  their  own  spheres,  like  the 
suns  and  worlds  in  space,  and  all  governed  by  fixed 
principles,  which  we  call  Moral  Truths,  as  the  methods 
of  Power  uniting  worlds  we  call  Law.  As  nature  is 
exact  in  her  expression,  man  desires  to  become  exact  in 
the  conduct  of  his  life.  He  must,  in  order  to  gain  this 
desirable  end,  act  in  accordance  with  his  highest  per- 
ceptions of  Truth. 

From  Truth  arises  trust,  faith,  confidence,  without 
which  individuals  would  become  selfish,  isolated,  and 
unable  to  unite  in  society.  If  we  reject  everything  ex- 
cept what  is  demonstrated  to  us,  there  will  be  little  left 
of  the  past.  We  must  take  for  granted,  and  trust  in  tho 
demonstration  of  others.  We  trust  because  \ve  know 


WISDOM.  225 

that  the  thinkers  of  the  world  arc  honest,  and  if  they 
err,  it  is  from  ignorance  and  not  design. 

This  trusting  faith,  when  it  is  supported  by  knowl- 
edge and  is  not  the  slave  of  ignorance,  is  one  of  the 
most  exquisitely  sweet  and  beautiful  qualities  of  human 
nature.  Deceived  it  often  may  be,  but  we  feel  that  it 
will  bloom  in  immortal  fruitage  after  all  the  Desires 
and  Appetites  which  lead  it  astray  are  lost  in  spiritual- 
ity. It  will  be  seen  in  this  survey  that  the  faculties  of 
the  mind  are  so  closely  bound  together  that  one  division 
cannot  be  discussed  without  unconsciously  invading 
another.  Thus  the  group  under  the  name  of  Love  are 
inextricably  bound  to  the  Perceptions  and  Eeason.  A 
man  could  not  be  moral  without  the  Perceptions  any 
more  than  without  the  group  we  have  termed  Wisdom. 
Reason  is  essential  to  morality.  If  a  man  acts  morally 
simply  by  force  of  a  blind  instinctive  impulse,  he  is  not 
thereby  a  moral  agent,  and  deserves  not  merit. 

Still  more  clearly  defined  is  the  unity  of  the  Virtues. 
Their  basis  is  Love,  of  which  they  are  varying  manifes- 
tations. Love  is  the  divine  power  which  reveals  itself 
in  obedience  to  the  order  of  the  physical  and  spiritual 
worlds.  It  seeks  the  good  and  happiness  of  all  other 
beings.  Its  justice  is  merciful,  unlike  the  vengeance 
which  flows  from  the  Appetites.  It  has  infinite  Charity 
and  Benevolence, 


VII. 

WISDOM. 

THE  senses  and  perceptions  are  channels  leading  up 
to  Wisdom,  and  are  held  in  common  with  animals. 
There  is  no  doubt  but  even  the  senses  of  animals  are 
more  imperfect  than  in  man.  While  they  see  clearly, 
often  more  quickly,  they  may  not  perceive  a  feature 
visible  to  him.  They  may  not  take  cognizance  of  colors, 
except  their  most  intense  hues,  and  sounds  audible  to 


226  THE    ETHICS   OF    SCIENCE. 

the  ear  of  one  species  may  be  unheard  by  others.  The 
latter  difference  is  marked  between  savage  and  civilized 
man,  in  whom  all  the  senses  appear  most  complete,  and 
with  them  the  perceptive  faculties,  which  take  cogni- 
zance of  phenomena. 

Above  these  lies  a  region  of  pure  thought.  It  is  re- 
lated to  the  superior  portion  of  the  brain,  which  is  last 
to  develop.  This  thought  sphere  transcends  the  animal 
realm,  in  which  are  dim  prophecies  of  its  grandeur, 
sufficient  to  indicate  the  continuity  of  being  and  rela- 
tion of  the  lowest  to  the  highest.  Beyond  this,  man  is 
alone.  In  the  highest  faculties  of  knowing,  the  spirit- 
ual perceptions  which  take  cognizance  of  spiritual  en- 
tities and  their  laws,  nothing  remains  to  indicate  con- 
nection with  lower  beings.  Conscience  is  exclusively 
man's. 

CONSCIENCE. 

Xenophon  says  of  Socrates  that  "  he  never  discoursed 
concerning  the  nature  of  all  things,  how  that  which  is 
called  the  Universe  is  constituted,  under  what  laws  the 
heavenly  bodies  exist,  etc.,  but  invariably  represented 
those  who  concerned  themselves  with  inquiries  of  this 
sort  as  playing  fool.  First  of  all,  he  inquired  whether 
such  persons  thought  they  had  so  far  mastered  the  acts 
which  relate  to  man  as  to  be  justified  in  proceeding  to 
such  investigations,  or  whether  they  considered  it  in 
order  to  have  human  inquiries  for  physical  researches." 

It  is  not  because  the  thinker  has  mastered  the  facts 
which  relate  to  man  that  he  turns  to  the  Universe,  but 
because  he  shrinks  from  the  profundity  of  the  problem 
furnished  by  his  own  mind,  and  essays  the  easy  task  of 
observation  of  the  external  world. 

Thus  to  the  question,  Has  man  a  conscience  ?  the 
answer  to  which  seems  as  evident  as  that  to  the  ques- 
tions, Can  he  see?  Can  he  hear?  Has  he  a  Eeason? 
exactly  opposite  answers  are  given,  and  the  affirmative, 
which  was  unhesitatingly  received  at  first,  has  yielded  to 
the  negative  with  the  advanced  and  scientific  school  of 
thinkers.  The  reason  for  this  is  it  fell  into  bad  com- 
pany and  became  ccnfouiided  with  superstition,  and 


WISDOM.  227 

thereby  the  prop  of  creeds  and  dogmas.  The  scientific 
thinkers,  starting  from  matter,  desired  to  refer  all  mani- 
festations to  the  scheme  o.f  Evolution,  and  explain  how 
Thought,  Reason,  Feeling,  result  from  the  accretion  of 
experiences,  and  Conscience  must  share  the  common 
explanation. 

There  are  two  schools — the  Intuitional  and  Utili- 
tarian. The  first  claims  that  Conscience  is  a  faculty  of 
the  mind,  which  decides  of  itself  what  is  right  and  what 
is  wrong  ;  the  latter  ciaims  that  Conscience  is  the  result 
of  experience.  What  it  regards  as  good  is  that  which 
results  in  happiness,  which  is  the  supremo  good.  It 
sneers  at  Conscience  as  a  phantasm,  the  creature  of 
education  and  superstition,  which  changes  from  age  to 
age  with  the  culture  of  the  times.  In  Mohammedan 
countries  it  is  different  from  that  in  Christian  ;  on 
the  Ganges  from  that  on  the  Mississippi  ;  in  Catholic 
from  Protestant  countries  ;  so  inconsistent  and  depend- 
ent is  it,  that  it  cannot  be  an  independent  faculty. 
This  position  is  made  more  plausible  when  we  look  still 
deeper  into  history.  Religious  wars  and  persecutions, 
all  have  grown  out  of  and  been  sustained  by  Conscience. 
The  Jewish  mob  crucified  Christ  to  appease  their  Con- 
science, as  Pilate  washed  his  hands  to  allay  his  own. 
Conscience  built  the  loathsome  dungeons  and  prepared 
the  horrible  tortures  of  the  Inquisition  ;  it  gathered  the 
fagots  and  kindled  the  flames  around  the  heretic  ;  it 
suppressed  learning  ;  made  a  merit  of  ignorance,  and 
has  been  the  slave  of  religion.  The  man  whose  Con- 
science will  not  allow  him  to  pare  his  nails  on  Sunday, 
will  rob  on  Monday  without  compunction.  Formerly 
the  minister  must  have  a  smooth-shaven  face,  and  the 
Conscience  of  the  laity  prevented  them  from  labor  on 
Sunday.  Conscience  compels  the  South  Sea  Islander  to 
knock  out  one  of  his  front  teeth  or  cut  off  one  of  his 
fingers  ;  the  Jew  to  circumcise  ;  the  Christian  to  be 
baptized. 

But  this  is  confounding  terms.  What  is  here  called 
Conscience  is  superstition  and  nothing  more,  and  has 
only  a  similitude  to  the  real  faculty,  which,  it  must  be 
confessed,  it  has  often  blinded  or  usurped  the  place  of. 


228  THE    ETHICS   OF    SCIENCE. 

If  this  reasoning  prove  the  non-existence  of  Conscience, 
precisely  the  same  argument  will  prove  the  non-existence 
of  Reason  itself.  At  one  stage  of  mental  advancement 
Renson  declared  the  world  flat,  and  that  the  sun  and 
sidereal  heavens  revolved  around  it.  It  thus  inter- 
preted the  facts  of  perception.  From  that  time  to  the 
present  its  voice  has  been,  in  accordance  with  the  en- 
tertained facts,  constantly  changing.  Yet  we  unhesitat- 
ingly declare  that  Reason  is  supreme  umpire  in  its  pro- 
vince. 

Of  the  Conscience  the  same  may  be  affirmed.  It  is, 
like  all  mental  qualities,  subject  to  growth.  As  in  the 
early  ages  Reason  seems  to  have  been  endowed  with 
prescience  and  intuitively  grasped  results,  only  demon- 
strated after  thousands  of  years  of  observation,  so  Con- 
science, with  only  greater  forecast  and  more  wonderful 
breadth,  perceived  moral  relations  so  clearly  and  pro- 
foundly that  not  yet  has  man  progressed  to  their  prac- 
tical realization. 

THE   CONSCIENCE    OF   THE   SAVAGE 

may  be  obscure  and  concealed  by  superstition,  yet  as 
far  as  it  is  manifested,  it  presents  the  same  qualnics  as 
that  of  the  most  civilized  man.  There  is  no  swerving 
in  its  decision  when  applied  to  its  proper  subjects.  But 
as  his  Reason  is  untrained  and  like  the  child's,  and  is 
often  based  on  insufficient  data,  its  results  are  not  of 
final  importance.  In  the  same  manner  the  Conscience 
of  savage  man  arrives  at  moral  conclusions,  which  are 
imperfect  and  subject  to  constant  revision. 

REASON   AND   CONSCIENCE. 

Thus  it  appears  that  between  Reason  and  Conscience 
there  is  a  perfect  parallelism.  As  Reason  may  be  in- 
fluenced by  the  Passions  and  Emotions,  so  also  may  be 
the  Conscience  ;  and  as  one  when  thus  overpowered  be- 
comes a  slave,  working  in  the  interests  of  its  tyrants,  so 
the  other  unites  its  voice  with  superstition,  and  lends  its 
name  to  religious  fanaticism  and  intolerance.  As  Reason 


WISDOM.  229 

is  the  umpire  of  facts  in  the  intellectual  realm,  is  Con- 
science in  the  realm  of  moral  principles. 

AVe  better  understand  the  processes  of  Reason  which 
deal  with  physical  facts  than  its  spiritual  prototype, 
which  rests  on  the  subtle  perceptions  of  spirit.  The 
latter  more  closely  resembles  Reason  in  its  exalted  state 
of  prescience,  when  it  apparently  escapes  the  trammels 
of  facts  and  at  once  seizes  on  the  truth.  If  Conscience 
is  that  faculty  which  discriminates  between  right  and 
wrong,  as  the  imperfect  mind  cannot  know  the  absolute 
right  and  wrong,  the  decision  of  Conscience  must  be 
comparative. 

As  actions  of  themselves  are  neither  moral  nor  im- 
moral, these  qualities  belonging  to  the  actor,  and  as 
all  actions  spring  from  motives,  the  decision  of  Con- 
science must  be  a  choice  of  motives.  If  all  the  motives 
which  actuate  the  mind  are  on  the  same  plane  and  of 
the  same  grade,  then  there  can  be  no  choice,  for  one  is 
as  good  as  the  other.  But  if  these  motives  are  of  differ- 
ent grades,  some  being  higher  than  others,  then  there  is 
a  choice.  Thus  the  desires  are  lower  than  the  spiritual 
aspirations  ;  selfishness,  than  benovolence  ;  greed,  than 
generosity  ;  intemperance,  than  abstinence  ;  and  when 
their  conflicting  claims  arise,  Conscience  at  once  decides 
in  favor  of  the  higher  motive,  its  voice  can  never  be 
mistaken.  It  never  favors  the  demands  of  the  lower 
against  the  higher  faculties.  It  ever  is  allied  with  the 
spiritual,  the  noble,  the  pure.  In  this  respect  it  is  the 
most  clearly  defined  and  unmistakable  of  all  faculties  of 
the  mind.  On  this  gradation  of  the  mental  faculties, 
whereby  the  Will  is  influenced,  rests  the  science  of 
morals.  By  this  means  only  is  such  a  science  possible. 
Moral  principles  must  be  fixed  and  determined  as  the 
theories  of  mathematics,  else  nothing  but  vague  uncer- 
tainties can  result.  Progress  itself  depends  on  fixedness 
here. 

Conscience  deals  with  living  entities — with  actors.  It 
judges  the  actors,  founding  its  judgment  on  motives. 
And  it  will  be  found  that  its  judgment  is  in  accordance 
with  the  grade  of  those  actuating  motives.  The  result 
is  not  taken  in  consideration.  Success  would  not 


230  THE  ETHICS  or  SCIENCE. 

have  changed  the  verdict  in  favor  of  Arnold,  or  have 
sanctioned  the  claims  of  slavery  ;  nor  defeat  have  re- 
versed the  principles  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence 
or  of  the  Magna-Charter  of  England.  The  popular  voice 
is  usually  an  expression  of  popular  conscience,  and  ap- 
plauds unselfish,  noble,  and  magnanimous  actions,  while 
it  sneers  and  scoffs  the  selfish,  mean,  and  ignoble.  Not 
from  its  common  selfish  experience  that  such  actions  of 
the  individual  are  best  for  the  State,  but  because  to  love 
and  respect  such  motives  is  inherent  in  the  human  mind. 
If  this  is  not  so,  we  have  the  mass  influenced  to  admire 
in  the  individual  unselfish  qualities,  because  these  ad- 
minister to  their  selfishness.  Now  as  the  mass  is  com- 
posed of  individuals  with  precisely  similar  faculties, 
shall  we  say,  most  paradoxically,  that  their  selfishness 
admires  unselfishness,  or  rather  that  they  admire  be- 
cause there  is  in  them  a  chord  which  responds  with  har- 
monious vibrations  to  unselfishness  ?  Noble  souls  are 
adored  for  their  generosity  and  deeds  of  self-forgetfulness, 
because  their  adorers  feel  that  they  have  done  what  is 
possible  for  all  to  do. 

IS     THE    IMPERFECTION    OF    CONSCIENCE    SUPPLIED     BY 
REVELATION  ? 

If  it  is,  there  should  be  no  hesitation  in  interpreting 
that  revelation.  If  it  is  as  obscure  as  Conscience,  then 
it  is  equally  uncertain.  The  Revelation  presented  is 
more  ambiguous  than  Conscience.  It  is  differently  in- 
terpreted by  different  individuals,  and  hence  is  an  un- 
certain guide,  or  far  worse  than  none. 

If  Revelation  is  truly  given  as  a  supplementary  guide 
to  Conscience,  it  must  appeal  to  Conscience  and  be  in- 
terpreted thereby.  If  it  can  understand  Revelation, 
then  it  must  have  qualities  like  the  revelator  ;  having 
which  it  would  arrive  at  the  principles  of  such  revela- 
tion without  foreign  assistance.  If  it  had  not  these 
qualities,  it  could  not  comprehend  such  Revelation.  In 
either  case  Revelation  can  be  of  no  assistance  in  remedy- 
ing the  imperfection  of  Conscience. 

If  Conscience  be  the  result  of  heredity,  handing  down 


-  WISDOM.  231 

to  us  the  experiences  it  lias  treasured,  we  ask,  What 
faculties  treasure  these  experiences  and  make  this  con- 
tinuous analysis  of  motives  ?  Is  it  Reason  ?  Is  it  the 
Emotions?  Is  not  Conscience  their  complete  expression 
and  central  manifestation. 

It  is  in  this  sense  we  use  this  term,  choosing  to  retain 
it,  although  liable  to  misinterpretation,  rather  than  in- 
troduce a  new  one. 

ACCOUNTABILITY. 

If  a  man  kill  another  intentionally  or  by  accident, 
the  result  is  the  same,  but  he  in  one  case  would  not  re- 
ceive blame,  for  he  was  not  actuated  by  wrong  motives. 
The  act  must  be  designed,  and  in  the  design  rests  the 
moral  accountability,  for  it  is  the  expression  of  the  Will. 
Conscience  is  the  force  which  influences  the  Will,  or  it 
is  a  part  of  the  Will  itself  ;  distinguishes  right  from 
wrong,  and  decides  the  course  of  action.  Hence  it  is 
the  last  court  of  appeal.  But  appeals  cannot  create  a 
tribunal,  which  must  pre-exist. 

It  is  clear  that  Conscience  cannot  exist  without  Rea- 
son,  of  which  it  is  a  higher  part.  It  is  the  result  of  all 
the  perceiving,  knowing  spiritual  faculties. 

An  individual  may  be  learned  and  not  good,  because 
Season  has  only  been  cultivated  in  the  relations  of  phys- 
ical life,  and  has  not  advanced  to  Wisdom,  which  is  the 
comprehension  of  spiritual  forces.  Education  may  stop 
with  the  physical  perceptions,  and  then  there  can  be  no 
proper  conception  of  morality. 

It  is  equally  true  that  a  man  cannot  be  positively  good 
without  intellectual  knowledge  ;  a  passive  goodness 
may  exist  with  the  most  complete  ignorance. 

In  the  order  of  development  the  Intellect  first  ex- 
pands in  perceptions  of  nature  ;  its  higher  perception 
of  spiritual  phenomena  and  forces  are  last  to  appear. 
This  growth  is  in  the  direct  line  of  the  knowing  facul- 
ties, and  hence,  although  as  a  matter  of  convenience 
and  to  avoid  repetition  the  term  Conscience  may  be 
used,  it  is  with  the  significance  of  "  Spiritual  Reason." 


232  THE    ETHICS    OF    SCIENCE. 


LOSS   OF    CONSCIENCE. 

By  disuse  Conscience  may  become  lost  in  the  energy 
of  the  Propensities  and  Appetites.  The  child  who 
passes  sleepless  nights  because  it  has  gathered  a  flower 
not  his  own  may  by  continuous  crimes  so  destroy  Con- 
science that  it  will  cease  its  reprovings.  He  may  be- 
come so  hardened  by  deeds  of  blood  that  human  life 
will  be  regarded  of  no  more  value  than  the  butcher  re- 
gards the  animals  that  he  slaughters.  The  voice,  potent 
at  first,  becomes  silent  in  the  contention  of  baser  desires, 
which  unrestrained  run  swiftly  in  their  brutal  channels. 
The  first  glass  is  met  with  bitter  rebuke,  but  Appetite 
soon  silences  the  reprovings  of  Conscience,  and  becomes 
a  tyrant. 

Yet  we  may  rest  assured  that  Conscience  is  never  blot- 
ted out.  It  becomes  latent,  but  may,  at  the  proper  mo- 
ment, be  rekindled. 

CHANGE    OF   HEAET. 

It  is  this  fact  that  makes  reformation  possible,  as 
on  it  rests  the  "  Change  of  Heart."  However  bad 
the  individual  may  become,  however  much  he  may  be 
the  slave  of  his  Desires  and  little  reproved  by  Con- 
science, he  never  can  fall  to  the  level  of  the  brute  by  its 
destruction.  It  may  be  suddenly  intensified,  and  be- 
come the  master.  A  pirate  whose  hands  were  red  with 
the  blood  of  numberless  victims,  and  mind  calloused  to 
pity  or  the  emotions  of  sympathy,  was  resting  under 
the  shade  of  a  grove  on  the  coast  of  Florida  after  a 
bloody  cruise.  He  slept,  to  be  awakened  by  the  cooing 
of  a  pair  of  doves  in  the  branches  overhead.  Fora  long 
time  he  watched  their  gentle  manners,  their  assiduous 
attentions  and  constancy.  A  responding  chord  was 
touched  in  his  heart,  a  chord  which  had  not  vibrated 
since  his  youth.  Conscience  became  a  vital  energy,  and 
with  its  intense  light  illumined  his  soul.  He  arose  a  new 
being,  with  unspeakable  abhorrence  of  his  old  life.  He 
shrank  from  his  former  associates,  and  bade  them  fare- 
well forever. 


WISDOM.  233 

Eeligious  revivals  often  exert  the  necessary  power  by 
which  Conscience  is  awakened,  and  although  accom- 
panied with  unessential  forms  and  observances,  which 
are  made  more  essential  than  the  result  itself,  are  thus 
of  intrinsic  value.  Complete  success,  however,  is  rarely 
attained.  The  disturbed  Desires  seek  to  gain  their 
former  control,  and  the  mind  oscillates  between  contend- 
ing faculties.  The  individual  "  backslides  ;"  is  period- 
ically repentant,  and  perhaps  scorned  for  inconsistency. 

CULTURE    OF   CONSCIENCE. 

Conscience  is  strengthened  by  use.  Like  the  taste  for 
the  beautiful,  it  grows  with  that  it  feeds  upon.  Every 
time  it  chooses  the  highest  between  contending  motives, 
it  becomes  stronger.  The  moral  progress  of  the  race  is 
referable  to  the  culture  of  Conscience,  which  is  typed  in 
its  development  in  the  individual.  The  observance  of 
religious  rites,  the  reading  of  so-called  moral  books  or 
moral  contemplation,  are  not  of  practical  value  as  means 
of  culture.  Moral  books  are  invariably  religious  books, 
narrow,  one-sided,  sapless,  and  at  best  contribute  to  a 
dreamy,  ideal  desire.  It  is  by  use  alone,  by  contact 
with  and  decision  on  actuality  that  this  faculty  receives 
proper  culture.  Its  constant  co-ordination  with  Keason 
yields  the  just  and  desirable  balance  of  the  mind. 

The  ideal  angel  is  a  being  perfect  in  the  supremacy  of 
Conscience  and  Eeason.  The  animal  nature  has  no 
part  in  its  choice.  Even  the  inclination  to  wrong  has 
disappeared,  and  a  calm,  undisturbed  serenity  ever  fills 
its  being.  Temptation  maybe  a  test  of  moral  strength, 
but  it  is  not  true,  as  held  by  many,  that  morality  de- 
pends on  its  presence. 

It  is  true  that  our  own  failure  to  do  right  teaches  us 
charity  for  others  and  quickens  our  sympathy,  but  it  is 
not  the  origin  of  these  sentiments.  We  are  not  chari- 
table to  others  because  we  feel  that  we  may  need  their 
charity,  nor  sympathize  with  the  suffering  because 
we  want  sympathy  when  we  suffer.  These,  with  their 
related  feelings,  spring  from  that  realm  of  mind  the 
central  force  of  which  is  Conscience. 


234  THE    ETHICS   OF    SCIENCE. 


CAN  THE  IMPERFECT,  BRUTAL  MAN  ATTAIN  THE  SUBLIME 
PERFECTION  OF  THE  ANGEL  ? 

As  a  flesh-clad  spirit,  possessing  all  the  faculties  of 
supreme  spirit,  man  has  the  mental  faculties  of  an 
angel.  As  a  being  susceptible  of  progress,  the  perfection 
of  these  faculties  is  the  fruition  of  time.  As  an  immor- 
tal being,  eternity  furnishes  that  element,  and  the  im- 
proving conditions  facilitates  the  rapidity  of  advance- 
ment. 

As  Reason,  throned  on  intelligence,  will  ascend  to 
the  comprehension  of  the  laws  of  the  physical  universe, 
Conscience  will  become  the  shining  light  of  the  moral 
world,  shedding  its  pure  radiance  over  the  character. 
This  is  possible  to  every  human  being.  However  de- 
based and  brutalized  by  the  accidents  of  time  and  place, 
the  spirit  has  within  itself  the  immortal  germs  of  good- 
ness and  purity.  If  not  awakened  in  this  life,  they  will 
be  at  some  period  in  the  Hereafter.  Life  in  man  is  a 
continuity  not  broken  by  death,  and  the  hour  of  repent- 
ance is  never  gone  by.  In  the  future  life  the  spirit, 
freed  from  the  conditions  of  physical  existence  which 
crushed  it  in  the  dust,  has  a  brighter  field,  and  where 
before  all  influences  were  earthward,  all  become  spirit- 
ward. 

Under  such  conditions  advancement  is  as  certain  as 
life.  The  most  reckless  and  debased  criminal,  lost  to 
sympathy  and  the  reprovings  of  Conscience,  selfish  and 
brutal,  will  sometime  actualize  this  ideal  ;  and  on  the 
highlands,  where  stand  those  immortals  redeemed  by 
progress,  the  marshlands  from  which  they  have  ascend- 
ed, though  remembered,  will  cast  no  shadow.  / 

TEMPTATION. 

It  is  said  that,  as  human  life  is  the  combination  of 
antagonizing  Aspirations,  Desires  and  Appetites,  temp- 
tations on  one  side,  resistance  on  the  other,  the  future 
life,  wherein  all  is  perfect  and  good,  would  be  an  unbear- 
able monotony  ;  that  temptation,  suffering  from  sin 
and  reform  are  essential  to  happiness.  Temptation  may 


WISDOM.  235 

develop  character  through  resistance,  but  it  is  possible 
for  the  spirit  to  arise  out  of  and  above  it.  It  is  possible 
for  every  Faculty  and  Desire  to  become  so  perfectly  bal- 
anced and  correlated  that  no  whisper  shall  enter  the 
mind,  enticing  it  to  any  course  but  the  Just  and  Right. 
Temptation  does  not  exist  for  itself,  or  for  its  effect  on 
the  individual.  The  individual  is  tempted  because  his 
lower  is  not  subjected  to  his  higher  nature. 

It  is  not  conducive  to  pure  morals  to  teach  that  it  is 
necessary  for  men  to  be  tempted  and  sometimes  ex- 
pected to  yield,  nor  is  it  true.  It  is  not  necessary,  and 
they  are  expected  to  act  according  to  the  highest  spir- 
itual light.  If  they  fail,  Charity  may  shield,  but  not 
justify  them. 

PRACTICE. 

As  Conscience  chooses  between  motives,  we  may  al- 
ways know  its  voice.  It  not  only  distinguishes,  but 
impels  to  the  higher  course  of  conduct.  If,  then,  we 
hesitate,  and  are  at  a  loss  which  way  to  go,  we  should 
always  accept  the  highest  course  presented — unselfish 
instead  of  selfish,  generous  instead  of  ungenerous,  for- 
giving instead  of  revengeful,  charitable  instead  of  un- 
charitable, noble  and  magnanimous  instead  of  mean 
and  treacherous.  Such  decisions  will  never  bring  regret. 

If  we  are  in  doubt,  and  many  equally  strong  motives 
impel  us  in  diverse  ways,  the  highest  motive  should  have 
the  benefit  of  such  doubts. 

REWARD. 

When  Conscience  is  the  impelling  power,  the  charac- 
ter becomes  strong,  the  mind  serene,  and  happiness  un- 
alloyed. The  unselfish  action  made  for  the  good  of 
others  rebounds  to  the  good  of  the  actor.  Such  is  the 
beautiful  compensation  by  which  all  obligations  meet 
a  just  recompense. 

HOW  DOES  CONSCIENCE  DECIDE  ? 

Right  is  productive  of  good  or  happiness  ;  Wrong 
brings  suffering.  It  will  be  seen  in  the  sequel  how  these 


236  THE   ETHICS   OF   SCIENCE. 

results  are  natural  and  unavoidable  sequences.  Does 
Conscience  decide  spontaneously,  knowing  by  an  all- 
seeing  intuition  the  Good  from  the  Bad,  the  Right  from 
the  Wrong  ?  Or  does  it  infer  from  facts,  in  a  manner 
similar  to  Eeason,  arising  by  a  series  of  steps  to  con- 
clusions ?  This  brings  us  to  the  question, 

WHAT  IS  GOOD  ? 

Jouffroy  says  that  "  the  particular  good  of  each  crea- 
ture is  but  an  element  of  universal  order,"  wherein  he 
strongly  blends  physical  laws  with  moral  insight,  and 
does  not  account  for  the  idea  of  Good.  Reason  may, 
and  often  does,  regard  the  "  universal  order"  very  differ- 
ently, and  ages  before  such  order  was  recognized,  con- 
crete conceptions  of  Good  were  entertained.  If  to  the 
idea  of  universal  order  be  supplemented  that  of  activity 
for  uses  related  to  mind,  then  would  arise  the  concep- 
tion of  Good. 

Another  school  says,  "  The  highest  good,  the  sum- 
mum  bonum,  is  worthiness  of  spiritual  approbation" 
(Dr.  Hickok,  "  Moral  Science,"  p.  43.) 

Shall  we  choose,  as  an  ultimate  end,  that  which  we 
must  be  in  order  to  make  the  choice  ?  Equally  absurd 
to  suppose  the  highest  good  to  consist  of  personal  intro- 
spection. It  would  not  be  a  Good  to  stop  short  on  bar- 
ren approbation,  even  of  the  most  spiritual,  for  activity  is 
put  forth  for  a  purpose  else  it  is  objectless,  and  the  pur- 
pose of  right  activity  oversteps  approbation  to  its  result. 

Dr.  Fairchild  ("  Moral  Philosophy,"  p.  21)  says  Good 
"  consists  in  the  satisfaction  of  that  sensibility — satis- 
faction in  every  form,  in  which  it  can  exist." 

This  definition,  places  the  Desires  on  a  level  with  the 
highest  spiritual  perceptions,  and  makes  the  satisfac- 
tion of  the  Passions,  in  their  lowest  estate,  a  Good. 
This  is  the  position  of  the  optimist,  who,  affirming  all 
things  Right,  would  allow  the  fire  of  Desires  to  consume 
themselves,  forgetting  that  ashes  only  remain  after 
conflagration. 

Happiness  as  the  Supreme  Good  belongs  to  Pa  ley's 
Mechanical  Scheme  of  Creation,  based  on  a  personal 


237 

God  and  the  selfishness  of  his  adherents.  In  the 
scheme  of  nature,  as  Happiness  is  always  in  great  excess 
of  Pain,  whatever  is  best  must  produce  the  greatest 
amount  of  happiness.  To  say  that  the  Conscience  de- 
cides in  favor  of  Happiness  is  an  inversion  ;  for  its  de- 
cision is  for  the  Eight,  which  necessarily  yields  the  Su- 
preme Happiness. 

Obedience  to  law  is  productive  of  the  greatest  pleas- 
ure, but  most  rarely  is  it  practical  or  possible  for  the 
mind  to  know  that  such  will  be  the  result  of  a  determi- 
nate action.  The  martyrs  and  heroes  of  the  world  testify 
that  Happiness  has  no  part  in  their  determination  of 
Eight  and  Duty.  Not  for  Happiness  stood  Leonidas 
with  his  three  hundred  in  the  pass  of  Thermopylas,  nor 
Joan  of  Arc  at  the  head  of  the  French  army,  nor 
Washington  with  his  bleeding  soldiers  at  Valley  Forge. 
The  love  of  country,  the  generous  emotion  of  liberty, 
blotted  out  every  vestige  of  Happiness  as  a  motive,  and 
to  brand  them  with  such  ignoble  motive  is  sacrilege. 

Man  being  endowed  with  varied  sensibilities  both  on 
the  physical  and  spiritual  side  of  his  nature,  their  per- 
fect satisfaction  in  accordance  with  the  laws  of  each,  co- 
ordinated with  all  the  others,  is  Ihe  highest  Good. 
This  result  presupposes  harmony  and  perfection  of  func- 
tions, separate  and  collective,  and  brings  into  view  the 
comparative  Good,  with  its  many-sided  consequences. 

This  perfect  satisfaction  is  the  Absolute  Good,  about 
which  there  can  be  no  difference  of  opinion.  When  we 
speak  of  objects  as  Good,  the  word  has  a  relative  and 
distinct  meaning.  Absolute  Good  is  only  realized  by 
thinking  beings.  The  answering  of  every  desire  and 
motive  results  in  Happiness.  It  is  the  state  of  virtue. 
It  is  pronounced  good  by  all,  as  the  most  desirable  state. 

The  opposite  condition  is  Wrong,  so  pronounced  uni- 
versally, for  its  result  is  Pain  and  TJnhappiness. 

APPLICATION. 

The  most  potent  fact  of  wrong-doing  is  that  it  is  ut- 
terly opposed  to  the  best  interests  of  the  wrong-doer. 
The  eternal  is  sacrificed  for  the  temporal  ;  the  ad  van- 


238  THE   ETHICS   OF   SCIEXCE. 

tages  of  the  future  for  the  moment.  The  enjoyment 
of  an  hour  is  followed  by  the  bitterness  of  a  life-time. 
The  wrong-doer  may  or  may  not  be  conscious  of  this  fact. 
If  sufficiently  cultured,  this  consciousness  will  be 
forced  upon  him.  A  well-conducted  life  yields  greater 
gratification,  even  to  the  Desires,  than  one  ill-regulated 
and  devoted  to  the  Passions.  Happiness  pursued  as  an 
end — in  other  words,  Self-gratification,  brings  disgust 
and  ruin.  Not  that  there  is  intrinsic  Wrong  in  the 
Desires,  but  in  their  subjugation  of  Reason  and  Con- 
science. They  should  be  controlled,  and  not  control. 

There  were  two  theories  in  ancient  times,  which  have 
held  their  places  to  the  present  :  of  the  Stoics  and  Epi- 
cureans. The  former  held  happiness  in  contempt,  as  all 
the  accidents  of  life,  and  made  the  Good  to  consist  in  liv- 
ing according  to  Nature  and  Reason.  The  latter  made 
Happiness  the  enjoyment  of  Desires,  the  end  of  life. 
The  Master  did  not  construe  this  in  a  corrupt  sense, 
but  made  it  the  enjoyment  of  mental  pursuits  ;  but  his 
followers  failed  not  to  render  it  in  the  coarse  proverb, 
"  Eat,  drink,  and  be  merry,  for  to-morrow  we  die." 

This  doctrine  has  found  expression  in  modern  times 
in  the  theory  of 

WHATEVER  IS,  IS  EIGHT, 

the  fatalism  of  the  Optimists,  which  annuls  all  distinc- 
tions between  Right  and  Wrong,  and  vitiates  accuracy 
of  thought  by  destroying  its  means  of  expression.  Right 
and  Wrong  by  insensible  gradations  approach  each 
other.  They  are  comparative,  admitted  ;  so  do  the 
great  and  the  small  stand  compared  in  infinite  grada- 
tion ;  but  the  great  and  the  small  remain  unchanged,  and 
gradation  proves  not  the  mountain  and  molehill  the 
same. 

More  truthful  to  say  that 

WHATEVER   IS,    IS   WROXG, 

to  be  made  right  in  the  future.  Either  statement  con- 
fuses accuracy  of  thought,  and  if  accepted  leads  to  a 


WISDOM.  239 

placidity  which  receives  the  most  distorting  error  with  ap- 
proving smile.  Tolerance  and  commendable  charity  be- 
come a  weak  excuse  for  and  supine  indifference  to  error. 
There  is,  it  is  claimed,  no  absolute  Right  nor  Wrong. 
What  is  Wrong  for  one  individual  may  be  Eight  for 
another  ;  what  is  AVrong  in  one  age  is  Eight  in  a  suc- 
ceeding. Even  our  ideas  of  Eight  and  Wrong,  it  is 
held,  are  gained  from  selfish  considerations.  Whatever 
affects  us  unpleasantly  or  disadvantageous^  we  consider 
Wrong,  and  the  reverse  Eight.  As  every  individual's 
impressions  are  different,  so  these  qualities  vary,  and 
hence  have  no  absolute  value. 

The  eyes  of  different  observers  take  in  all  degrees  of 
light,  and  from  blindness  to  clear  vision  all  degrees  of 
sensitiveness  exist,  yet  the  light  remains  unchanging. 
Eight  and  Wrong  are  absolute  moral  qualities  existing 
outside  of  moral  beings,  and  are  not  subjective  concep- 
tions of  the  mind.  Their  perception  is  of  growth,  like 
all  other  faculties  of  the  mind,  and  is  as  much  keener 
and  determinate  in  civilized  man  than  in  savage,  as  the 
former  is  superior  to  the  latter  in  intelligence.  This 
progress  points  to  an  absolute  toward  which  the  noblest 
aspirations  of  the  mind  are  attracted.  Hedged  in  by 
expediency,  and  endeavoring  to  tread  the  treacherous 
path  of  compromise,  it  feels  that  beyond  its  best  efforts 
is  an  absolute,  which  admits  of  no  comparison.  Every 
hour  of  life  it  asks  itself  the  momentous  question,  What 
is  Eight  ?  and  its  interpretation  seals  its  destiny.  Not 
how  will  this  affect  ourselves  alone,  but  how  will  it  affect 
others,  must  be  our  inquiry.  Will  it  give  them  pain, 
deprive  them  of  their  just  measure,  or  in  any  way  be 
detrimental  to  them  ?  If  we  are  gainers  and  they  are 
losers  is  evidence  of  injustice.  We  cannot  isolate  our- 
selves  from  humanity  and  receive  benefits  at  the  expense 
of  others  without  being  overtaken  at  some  time  by  the 
consequences.  Integral  parts  of  the  human  world,  the 
least  member  of  that  world  cannot  be  injured  without 
all  being  affected.  Eight  injures  no  one.  It  is  benefi- 
cent to  all. 

Happiness  is  dependent  on  this  lofty  state  of  benevo- 
lence, flowing  to  the  mind,  as  an  undercurrent,  from 


240  THE    ETHICS   OF    SCIENCE. 

the  flood  streaming  out  from  it  continually.  The  good 
of  others  is  our  own  Supreme  Good.  Benevolence  is 
never  in  error,  never  wrong.  It  is  a  key-note  in  the 
octave  of  the  spirit. 

LIFE   A   DISCIPLINE. 

As  the  embryonic  forms  of  higher  animals  revert  to 
the  lower,  ascending  by  various  stages  to  their  perma- 
nent level,  so  every  child  is  born  a  savage,  having 
the  superior  capabilities  bestowed  by  hereditary  descent 
from  civilized  ancestors.  The  capabilities  are  at  first 
latent,  and  the  child  of  savage  and  the  child  of  civilized 
parents  travel  side  by  side  in  gaining  knowledge  of  the 
relations  they  sustain  to  external  things.  It  has  been 
said  that  the  first  questions  asked  by  primitive  man  were, 
How  ?  Why  ?  Wherefore  ?  These  are  the  first  asked 
by  every  child — asked  even  before  it  learns  the  use  of 
spoken  language.  From  that  period  onward  the  child 
is  absorbed  in  the  acquisition  of  knowledge.  He  has 
entered  a  new  and  strange  world,  and  it  is  essential  that 
he  learn  the  relations  between  himself  and  external  na- 
ture. Possessing  a  will  seemingly  independent  and  free, 
the  young  barbarian  asserts  his  kingship,  to  find  his  vas- 
sals stubborn  and  relentlessly  unyielding.  He  clutches 
at  the  moon,  and  learns  the  reality  of  space  ;  or  the 
glittering  flame,  and  discovers  the  properties  of  heat ; 
essays  to  walk,  and  by  many  a  fall  becomes  conscious  of 
gravity. 

TO   CONQUER   NATURE. 

Nature  submits  to  no  rude  hand.     He  learns  that  she 
is  only  conquered  by  obedience  to  her  laws.     He  m; 
pout  over  his  bruised  head,  cry  over  the  smarting  bun. 
but  Nature  is  an  unrelenting  mother,  coaxing  none  «j 
her  children.     Her  rules  are  fixed,  and  deviate  not  for 
the  child  of  an  emperor  more  than  for  the  larva  of  the 
ephemera.     He  gains  knowledge  of  her  laws  by  the  re- 
sistance they  offer  ;  a  veritable  fetish  worshipper,  he  kicks 
the  table  against  which  he  bumps  his  head,  as  the  grown 
children,  in  the  childhood  of  the  world,  sought  to  chain 


WISDOM.  241 

the  sea  or  control  the  winds.  The  table  does  not 
change  to  a  cushion  to  save  his  tender  feet.  Such  is 
his  first  discipline,  and  slowly,  as  his  mind  matures,  he 
finds  that,  so  far  from  being  a  born  lord,  he  is  an  hum- 
ble serf  ;  that  above,  beneath,  and  around  him  stretch 
the  iron  arms  of  inflexible  law,  and  instead  of  command- 
ing, he  must  obey.  Overwhelmed  with  a  dim  conscious- 
ness of  his  position — his  weakness,  on  the  one  hand,  and, 
on  the  other,  the  gigantic  powers  of  nature — primitive 
man  defied  the  latter,  and  explained  his  own  contradic- 
tory being  by  supposing  that  his  mortal  life  was  a  pro- 
bationary state,  wherein  his  god-like  spirit  underwent  a 
process  of  purification,  which  completing,  it  would 
ascend  to  its  native  home.  This  life  was  one  of  disci- 
pline. Here  man,  the  brute,  was  wedded  to  man,  the 
spirit,  and  the  high  end  of  his  existence  was  to  bring 
the  former  into  subjection  to  the  latter. 

Fearfully  long  and  wearisome,  terribly  painful,  and 
beset  with  torture  of  body  and  spirit  has  been  the  road 
he  has  travelled. 

THE  PATH  OF   ADVANCE. 

It  began  with  the  savage  of  the  wild,  hairy,  matted- 
locked,  armed  with  a  club  or  stone,  feeding  on  raw 
flesh,  solitary,  distrustful,  vindictive,  cruel  and  selfish, 
living  only  for  himself.  It  ends  in  the  ideal  of  spiritual 
perfectibility,  the  man  living  for  others  instead  of  him- 
self, with  sympathetic  benevolence  embracing  all  human 
beings,  acknowledging  the  use  of  his  physical  nature, 
but  holding  it  in  strict  abeyance  to  his  spiritual  percep- 
tions. This  long  stride  of  development  has  been  made 
with  blood  and  toil. 

Tribe  has  destroyed  tribe,  nation,  nation,  and  great 
races  have  pitted  themselves  in  death  grapple.  Empires 
have  arisen  and  melted  away.  Kings,  theocrats,  auto- 
crats, and  the  turbulent  masses  have  in  turn  vainly 
striven,  retarding  or  accelerating  as  their  influence  was 
thrown  on  the  side  of  the  brute  or  the  angel.  Great 
thinkers  have  been  cast  up  by  the  seething  waves,  like 
pearls  from  the  wild  depths,  from  whose  birth  date  eras 
of  progress. 


24-2  THE    ETHICS    OF   SCIENCE. 

This  interminable  interval  must  be  travelled  by  every 
child,  with  this  advantage  :  the  way  is  prepared  for  it, 
and  it  may  thus  quickly  pass  over.  May,  or  it  may 
linger  under  the  pressure  of  interwoven  circumstances, 
and  in  the  midst  of  civilization  remain  a  barbarian,  as 
criminals  and  law-breakers  exemplify. 

This  life  is  not  probationary  ;  coming  up  from  the 
rank  soil  of  animal  being,  dwelling  in  the  midst  of  sen- 
tient life,  and  sending  down  strong  roots  into  the  physical 
stratum,  our  spiritual  nature,  of  slow  growth,  must  be 
cultivated  carefully  as  an  exotic,  else  the  rank  weeds 
will  overtop  and  sap  its  vitality.  From  the  cradle  to 
the  grave,  Life  is  discipline.  Children  are  sometimes 
born  with  extraordinary  mental  and  spiritual  endow- 
ments ;  the  majority  must  by  effort  attain  the  status 
these  possess  by  their  happy  organizations. 

"  If  in  excess,  let  the  passions  burn  themselves  out, 
and  then  will  the  man  become  subject  to  his  angel  na- 
ture/' says  the  optimist.  This  conception,  so  satisfactory 
to  the  Desires  and  appeasing  to  opposing  Conscience, 
is  dangerous  and  false  as  it  is  subtle.  The  strongest 
faculty  draws  the  most  sustenance  at  the  expense  of  the 
weaker.  Like  the  hardiest  cub,  it  not  only  absorbs  its 
own  share,  but  pushes  its  weaker  fellow.  Does  it  grow 
weak  by  satiety  ?  The  fire  is  extinguished  by  burning 
itself  out — what  remains  ?  Ashes. 

"  The  passions  are  natural,  let  them  go,  as  a  river 
flows  to  the  sea,  as  the  fire  burns.  Their  manifestations 
are  as  right  as  those  of  the  intellect.  Why  restrain 
them  ?  Why  denounce  and  punish  ?  It  is  the  only  way 
some  men  can  be  reduced  and  gain  control  of  them- 
selves, and  commence  a  higher  course  of  advancement." 

THINGS  ABE   AS  THEY  ABE  BECAUSE  THEY  MUST  BE, 

not  because  right ;  because  such  is  written  in  the  con- 
stitution of  the  world.  He  who  unleashes  his  brutal 
nature  under  the  delusion  that  it  is  right  ever  finds, 
to  his  cost,  that  misery  is  the  sternly  inflicted  penalty. 
Do  the  passions  extinguish  themselves  ?  Ah!  the  result 
is  a  wreck  of  manhood  over  which  angels  weep  ! 


WISDOM.  243 

The  distinction  of  Eight  and  Wrong  in  all  our  actions 
is  spoken  in  words  unmistakable  ;  Right  always  confers 
true  and  permanent  happiness,  and  Wrong  with  equal 
certainty  brings  suffering.  The  deceptive  gleam  of 
sensuous  pleasure,  too  often  mistaken  for  happiness,  is 
the  foretaste  of  misery  ;  sensuous  pain  in  the  triumph 
of  conscience  is  the  harbinger  of  endless  pleasure.  Sub- 
jected to  this  impartial  test,  "  AVhatever  is,  is  right," 
with  the  deductions  flowing  logically  therefrom,  fall  as 
idle  schemes  of  those  who  would  rebuke  error  with  an 
excuse  for  the  ruin  it  produces. 

Even  these  theorists  acknowledge  that  ultimately  the 
recreant  will  commence  to  advance,  and  as  they  ignore 
discipline  and  restraint,  they  would  have  a  ruin  burned 
and  charred,  rather  than  the  plastic  material  fresh  from 
the  quarry. 

Life  is  for  discipline  and  progress.  Seasoning  found- 
ed on  its  termination  at  the  grave  is  fallacious.  Our 
every  thought  and  deed  having  eternal  relations,  the 
faculties  which  connect  us  to  external  life  are  necessary 
so  far  as  they  affect  that  object,  but  any  further  exten- 
sion of  their  sphere  is  detrimental.  The  finite  possibil- 
ities of  to-day  and  the  infinite  of  to-morrow  is  our 
birthright. 

Turn  where  we  will,  we  find  this  lesson  taught  in 
unmistakable  language,  and  the  lash  of  pain  distin- 
guishes with  nicest  discrimination  the  Right  from  the 
Wrong  in  the  conduct  of  life. 

The  child  setting  forward  toward  the  ideal  angel,  be- 
fogged by  the  world,  is  content  to  remain  half  a  savage  ; 
that  is,  dominated  over  by  his  brutal  nature,  or  its  slave, 
restrained  only  by  the  laws  of  the  society  of  which  he  is 
a  member. 

CONSEQUENCES. 

If  we  do  Wrong,  we  are  certain  to  bear  the  conse- 
quences ;  if  Right,  to  enjoy  the  results.  To  know  the 
Right  from  the  Wrong  is  the  foundation  of  moral  con- 
duct. To  know  these  involves  a  knowledge  of  man's 
nature  and  of  the  world.  Hence,  the  highest  morality 


244  THE    ETHICS   OF   SCIENCE. 

must  rest  on  knowledge,  and  the  Intellect  lie  between 
the  world  of  active  life  and  morals. 


VIII. 

WISDOM  —  THE  WILL. 

THE  Will  is  considered  by  mental  philosophers  as  a 
distinct  and  independent  faculty  and  source  of  power. 
In  moral  philosophy  it  becomes  the  source  of  responsi- 
bility, and  its  freedom  is  a  cardinal  doctrine  of  theology. 
Man  cannot  be  held  responsible  for  his  actions  unless 
they  are  of  his  own  free  choice.  They  must  be  within 
his  means  of  doing,  and  he  must  not  only  be  allowed  to 
do  or  not  do,  but  have  the  power  within  himself.  If 
he  is  hedged  in  by  circumstances  which  change  the  pur- 
pose of  his  Will,  and  if  that  Will  be  dependent  on  his 
physical  surroundings  and  mental  conditions,  he  cannot 
be  said  to  be  a  free  moral  agent  in  the  theological  ac- 
ceptation of  that  term. 

IS   MAK   PEEE  ? 


If  we  consider  the  constitution  of  man,  we  shall  ar- 
rive at  a  widely  different  conclusion.  The  individual  is 
the  result  of  every  cause  and  condition  which  has  been 
exerted  not  only  directly  on  himself,  but  his  ancestors 
from  remotest  time.  He  is  a  centerstance,  in  which 
blends  this  infinite  series  of  causes  and  conditions.  This 
cumulation  from  the  beginning,  this  resultant  of  the 
entire  mind,  is  the  Will. 

If  the  Will  is  a  distinct  power  or  source  of  power, 
why  is  its  strength  in  any  given  direction  exactly  pro- 
portioned to  the  strength  of  mind  in  that  direction  ? 
For  illustration,  when  combativeness  is  strong,  why  does 
the  individual  Will  to  be  combative,  and  if  weak,  why 
Will  to  be  the  reverse  ? 


WISDOM — THE   WILL.  245 

If  a  man  has  untoward  ambition,  the  Will  is  alike  fa- 
vorable to  ambition.  If  he  is  without,  there  is  no  vault- 
ing Will. 

The  same  is  shown  functionally  when  a  portion  of 
the  brain  is  removed,  as  has  been  repeatedly  done  by  ac- 
cident. With  such  destruction  or  removal,  certain 
faculties  cease  to  be  manifested,  and  with  them  the  Will 
in  their  particular  direction.  The  Will  is  the  result  of 
all  past  experiences  of  the  individual  direct  and  by 
heredity,  received  through  all  the  faculties,  reacting  on 
the  outer  world.  While  responsible,  it  is  not  correct  to 
hold  it  as  a  free  agent,  which  of  itself  chooses  and  impels. 
What  is  this  power  of  the  Will  ?  It  is  that  of  the  indi- 
vidual as  a  whole. 

On  the  understanding  of  the  will  rests  our  estimate 
of  human  actions — praise  and  censure,  and  the  penal 
code.  If  a  man  do  wrong  when  he  could  do  right  if  he 
so  willed,  moral  philosophy  assumes  a  theological  aspect, 
with  which  this  is  a  favorite  dogma  :  Man  can  will  as 
he  pleases.  Although  this  has  long  been  accepted,  it 
certainly  is  one  of  the  most  erroneous  theories,  and  leads 
to  deplorable  consequences. 

REFORM. 

If  a  man,  after  a  long  series  of  crime,  changes  his 
course  and  begins  to  do  right,  we  say  he  wills  to  reform. 
It  would  be  more  correct  to  say  that  the  nobler  faculties 
of  his  mind  have  been  aroused.  This  cannot  be  ac- 
complished by  the  unassisted  Will,  for  no  such  autocratic 
power,  superior  to  all  the  faculties,  exists  in  the  mind. 

The  loss  or  weakening  of  the  Will  is  the  decay  of  all 
the  faculties,  or  it  may  result  from  a  negative  passive 
condition.  Such  persons  are  said  to  have  "  no  Will  of 
their  own,"  always  conceding  to  those  they  are  with. 
They  would  be  of  no  use  in  the  world  were  it  not  for 
the  use  others  make  of  them. 

CAH   "VVE   DO   AS   WE    PLEASE  ? 

To  say  we  can  do  as  we  please  ignores  the  question  of 
Will,  for  it  is  really  saying  we  Will  thus  and  so,  conse- 


246  THE    ETHICS   OF    SCIENCE. 

quently  we  can  Will,  which  is  a  truism.  The  real  ques- 
tion is,  Can  we  Will  ourselves  to  Will,  to  do  a  given 
task,  or  think  a  certain  train  of  ideas?  It  is  self  evi- 
dent that  we  cannot ;  that  the  Will  cannot  transcend 
the  mental  qualities  on  which  it  rests,  and  from  which 
it  springs. 

Nothing  proves  this  more  completely  than  the  force 
of  habit.  The  drunkard  may  Will  to  reform,  and  for  a 
time  maintain  his  determination  ;  but  the  desire  for 
stimulants  increases,  until  it  sweeps  his  resolution  away. 
He  strives  for  a  time  and  breasts  the  current,  all  the 
time  feeling  that  his  strength  is  only  for  the  time,  and 
will  soon  yield.  He  feels  that  he  is  doomed  irrevocably. 
The  Appetites  affect  the  Will  in  the  same  manner,  and 
starvation  will  reduce  the  most  sensitive  to  a  cannibal. 

DEVELOPMENT   OF   THE   WILL. 

The  assent  of  the  Will  may  be  traced  from  the  sensi- 
tive contraction  of  protoplasmic  life  upward  through 
the  ascending  series,  from  the  involuntary  to  the  volun- 
tary. 

The  highest  animal  is  governed  by  instincts  which 
are  incoherent  efforts  of  Will.  Children  are  dominated 
in  the  same  manner,  and  many  adults  cannot  be  said  to 
have  wills  of  their  own.  In  the  more  perfect  man  we 
find  the  diverging  purposes  unitized,  and  the  highest  ex- 
pression of  Will  is  the  voice  of  Reason  and  Conscience, 
which  is  justly  given  the  government  of  the  conduct  of 
life.  It  is  considered  wrong  to  Will  to  do  anything  un- 
justified by  the  higher  faculties.  To  do  otherwise,  to 
Will  to  follow  the  Propensities  or  Appetites,  is  regard- 
ed as 

DEPRAVED. 

The  Will  receives  the  blame,  and  is  made  the  seat  of 
"  moral  depravity." 

The  seat  of  "moral  depravity"  is  not  in  the  Will,  for 
the  Will  cannot  act  without  motives,  and  these  motives 
of  wrong  action  are  formed  by  the  Propensities  and  Ap- 
petites. The  moral  faculties  are  aways  moral,  and  hence 


WISDOM — THE    WILL.  24  ]' 

the  term  "  moral  depravity"  is  a  misnomer,  such  a  state 
being  impossible. 

CULTURE   OF   THE   WILL. 

An  Egyptian  physiognomist,  on  reading  the  character 
of  Socrates,  said  he  was  a  libertine.  His  disciples 
laughed  ;  so  far,  thought  they,  the  reading  departed  from 
the  truth  ;  but  Socrates  chided  them,  saying  the  Egyp- 
tian was  right ;  that  he  had  been,  and  only  overcame 
his  appetite  by  severest  discipline.  Strength  of  Will, 
morally  directed,  is  one  of  the  noblest  traits  of  man,  be- 
cause it  is  a  measure  of  his  attainments,  and  prophesies 
his  inconceivable  possibilities. 

By  the  culture  of  the  harmonious  activity  of  all  fac- 
ulties, and  the  constant  effort  to  place  the  higher  in  just 
ascendancy,  the  Will  maybe  strengthened  in  that  direc- 
tion to  an  unlimited  extent.  Not  only  can  it  gain 
mastery  over  the  body,  defying  the  pangs  of  hunger, 
and  the  fever  of  thirst,  and  the  keenest  arrows  of  pain, 
it  treads  the  desires  beneath  its  feet,  and  shows  how 
much  stronger  is  the  spirit  than  the  body.  The  martyrs, 
who  smile  at  physical  pain,  show  how  independent  the 
spirit  may  become  through  the  force  of  high  resolves, 
and  they  who  forsake  all  for  principle  illustrate  the  same 
in  the  sphere  of  intelligence. 

In  this  high  relation  the  Will  has  no  limitation  ex- 
cept the  mental  faculties  by  which  it  is  expressed. 

The  term  Will,  as  popularly  used,  means  the  sum  of 
the  mental  activities.  We  must  regard  it  as  the  dynam- 
ics of  the  mind.  To  say  it  is  corrupt  is  saying  in  an- 
other form  that  the  mind  itself  is  corrupt.  To  say  it  has 
become  pure  and  never  yields  to  base  desires  is  say- 
ing that  the  mind  has  been  cultured  in  that  direc- 
tion. 

But  so  thoroughly  are  we  bound  in  the  iron  ways  of 
habit,  that  the  term  must  be  retained  to  avoid  tedious 
circumlocution,  as  we  retain  Conscience,  giving  it  a 
modified  meaning. 

So  far  as  man  is  a  circumstance,  his  Will  is  not  free  ; 
as  a  centerstance  of  force  it  becomes  free.  The  mind 


248  THE   ETHICS   OF   SCIENCE. 

as  a  treasure-house  of  the  past  is  a  mighty  reserve  force, 
which  is  at  the  disposal  of  the  'Will. 

Writers  of  the  school  of  Darwin,  Spencer,  and  Bain 
have  explained  the  processes  of  this  cumulation,  and 
consider  their  statement  of  facts  as  demonstrations. 
They  have,  however,  allowed  the  real  question  to  escape 
them.  They  iiave  only  shown  how  individualized  spirit 
gains  control  over  matter.  They  have  not  given  the 
least  explanation  of  the  origin  of  ideas,  or  how  matter 
gets  caught  in  the  vortices  of  thought.  A.fter  all  their 
labors  they  are  little  nearer  the  explanation  than  at  the 
beginning,  for  they  are  prepossessed  with  false  views 
which  distort  their  conclusions. 

In  this  rapid  survey  no  attempt  has  been  made  to 
compare  the  theories  on  the  questions  discussed,  for  they 
are  barren  speculations,  and  the  result  would  be  fruit- 
less. It  would  have  been  a  waste  of  time  to  enter  into 
disputation  or  their  disproval.  Instead  of  demolishing 
the  old  time-stained  structures,  a  new  and  practical 
system  has  been  presented,  and  the  future  pages  will  be 
devoted  to  their  plain  application. 


IX. 

CHAETEB   OF  EIGHTS. 

THE  existence  of  a  being  is  its  Charter  of  Rights.  It 
is  an  incontrovertible  evidence  that  such  a  being  has 
the  right  to  all  the  essential  conditions  for  the  mainte- 
nance of  such  existence.  The  presence  of  lungs  not  only 
proves  that  there  is  an  atmosphere,  it  also  proves  that 
this  organ  owns  by  right  so  much  of  the  atmosphere  as 
is  required  to  expand  its  cells  and  arterialize  the  blood 
that  flows  thereto.  The  appetite  of  thirst,  which  indi- 
cates the  absolute  necessity  of  water  to  the  sustenance 
of  the  organism,  declares  its  right  to  so  much  water  as 
shall  answer  its  wants.  There  can  be  no  other  side  to 


CHARTER   OF    RIGHTS.  249 

this  question  ;  for  it  would  not  only  be  a  want  of  be- 
nevolence, but  a  cruel  blunder  to  create  a  being  with 
imperative  wants  and  not  to  supply  those  wants.  To 
create  fish,  which  by  their  constitution  could  only  en- 
joy life  in  the  water,  and  not  to  give  them  the  boundless 
tide  to  which  fin  and  gills  are  fashioned  ;  to  create  birds 
with  wings  to  cleave  the  atmosphere,  and  withhold  that 
element,  would  be  to  defeat  the  object  of  their  creation. 
The  form  of  the  fish  demonstrates  its  right  to  the  water  ; 
the  wings  of  the  bird  its  right  to  use  them  in  the  air  ; 
the  lungs  have  a  right  to  be  filled  with  air,  the  thirst  to 
be  slaked  by  water. 

Hunger,  the  terrible  necessity  of  life,  carries  with  it 
the  right  of  gratification.  In  the  animal  it  knows  no 
limitation.  It  is  the  fundamental  right,  equivalent  to 
that  of  existence.  In  man  the  rights  of  the  Appetites 
are  subject  to  the  limitation  of  his  superior  faculties. 
The  individual  is  confined  in  his  sphere  by  that  of  other 
individuals.  He  has  a  right  to  act  precisely  as  he 
pleases  in  his  sphere.  He  must  never  transcend  it 
and  trespass  on  the  rights  of  others.  The  air  and  water 
are  so  abundant  that  none  claim  preoccupancy,  or  dis- 
pute their  use.  With  food  and  the  right  of  Hunger  it 
is  different.  In  the  savage  state  man,  a  creature  of  the 
tropics,  supplies  his  scanty  wants  from  the  teeming 
abundance  of  Nature,  and  the  answer  of  hunger  is  as 
certain  as  that  to  the  desire  for  air.  But  in  an  advanced 
and  more  crowded  state  food  keeps  pace  in  no  ratio 
with  the  demand.  The  intelligence  of  man  must  direct 
his  hands  to  labor  for  the  increase  of  fruits,  grains  and 
animal  life. 

IK   A   CROWDED    STATE    LIFE    MUST  BE   SUPPORTED  BY 
LABOR. 

The  earth  itself  will  furnish  only  a  little  of  what  is 
demanded.  The  game  in  four  thousand  acres  of  forest 
may  satisfy  the  hunger  of  one  Indian,  but  it  will  be  an 
insignificant  fraction  of  supply  to  a  thousand  people 
which  civilization  crowds  on  the  same  area.  Only  by 
labor  can  the  deficit  be  supplied  ;  labor  of  the  hands, 


250  THE    ETHICS   OF    SCIENCE. 

in  tilling  the  soil,  mining  the  ores,  fashioning  machines 
to  do  more  work,  or  the  exchange  of  surplus  products. 

Hunger  stimulates  labor,  and  is  supplied  thereby. 
Hunger  has  the  right  to  the  food  it  demands,  limited 
by  the  right  to  gain  that  food  by  labor.  This  is  the  first 
law  of  Right,  limited  in  man  by  Benevolence,  for  labor 
must  not  be  at  the  expense  of  others.  It  follows  that 

LABOR,    WHEN     SO     DIRECTED,     HAS    THE     RIGHT  TO    ITS 
OWN    PRODUCTS. 

The  idea  of  ownership  is  inherent  in  being,  and  the 
deed  of  ownership  is  doing  something  to  create  or  appro- 
priate. Any  law  or  usage  which  conflicts  with  this  pri- 
mary right  is  wrong. 

"  Ah  !"  it  is  said,  "  you  make  no  exceptions  ;  then 
every  child,  when  born,  has  a  right  to  be  fed  and  clothed  ; 
every  man  to  be  fed  and  clothed."  Certainly,  as  every 
child,  when  born,  has  a  right  to  fill  its  lungs  with  air, 
to  be  nourished  at  its  mother's  breast,  to  water  when 
thirsty.  This  right  is,  however,  subject  to  this  quali- 
fication :  love  assures  the  rights  of  the  child,  labor  must 
that  of  the  man. 

It  is  not  enough  that  this  be  granted. 

LABOR  MUST  BE  ALLOWED  OPPORTUNITY. 

It  is  not  enough  to  say  man  has  the  right  to  labor  ; 
he  has  the  right  to  the  OPPORTUNITY  to  labor,  and  hav- 
ing the  opportunity,  the  results  should  be  his. 

RIGHT  TO   LAND. 

As  the  land  is  the  primary  source  of  supply  of  food, 
Labor  has  the  right  to  the  land,  and  they  who  use  it 
with  greatest  profit — that  is,  make  it  most  productive, 
have  the  right  to  the  land.  This  law  is  illustrated  in 
the  contact  of  culture  with  barbarous  peoples.  The 
race  that  makes  the  land  produce  the  greatest  supply  of 
food  is  its  triumphant  owner. 

"  Ah  !  this  is  agrarianism. "     Xo  ;  for  in  a  long  period 


CHARTER   OF   RIGHTS.  251 

of  civilization  the  land  does  not  remain  in  the  wild. 
Air  and  water  are  ever  the  same,  but  the  land  is  change- 
able. The  forest  is  removed,  the  stagnant  waters 
drained  away,  the  crust  pulverized,  and  an  ownership 
established  by  the  labor  expended,  which  has  received  no 
reward  except  in  ownership,  which  is  valuable  for  what 
it  may  yield  in  the  future.  If  such  land  cannot  be  oc- 
cupied by  the  one  who  has  given  this  preparatory  labor, 
and  is  by  another,  it  is  just  that  the  products  of  this 
joint  labor  be  equitably  divided  in  proportion  to  the 
value  of  each.  This  is  rent,  or  interest,  which  are 
really  one  and  the  same  ;  for  interest  would  never  be 
paid  on  money  if  money  would  not  procure  the  use  of 
something  desired.  Rent,  then,  of  itself  is  just,  and 
not  to  be  regarded  by  labor  as  a  grievance.  But  when 
it  exacts  more  than  its  share,  it  becomes  the  most  un- 
just and  oppressive  power  possible  to  conceive.  Hav- 
ing seized  the  means  of  life,  it  reduces  labor  to  a  pitiable 
struggle  for  existence,  granted  by  monopoly  with  be- 
grudging scorn. 

RENT   AXD   INTEREST. 

Ill  the  present  complex  civilization,  however,  rent 
and  interest  are  means  whereby  present  labor  is  robbed 
by  that  of  the  past.  Past  labor  is  aggregated  in  capital, 
which  represents  the  surplus  savings  of  labor.  The  de- 
sire of  ownership  is  essential  to  human  well  being,  to 
progress  and  civilization  ;  but  ownership  should  not 
transcend  the  law  of  Love  and  Benevolence.  So  great 
are  the  demands  that  labor  cannot  of  itself,  honestly 
directed,  accumulate  more  than  a  competency  under  the 
most  favorable  circumstances  during  the  brief  period  of 
earthly  life.  By  yielding  to  the  desire  of  wealth  for  its 
own  sake  ;  crushing  love  and  benevolence,  and  giving 
rein  to  the  propensities  ;  by  fraud,  dishonesty,  sharp 
practices  and  dubious  ways  of  trade,  fortunes  are  accumu- 
lated which  have  no  relation  to  the  labor  of  the  legal 
owner.  The  production  or  acquisition  of  wealth  is  not 
governed  by  the  laws  of  human  well  being,  as  expressed 
in  the  higher  morality,  and  hence  accumulated  labor,  or 
capital,  stands  opposed  to  present  labor.  The  means  of 


252  THE    ETHICS    OF   SCIENCE. 

labor  are  monopolized,  and  it  is  compelled  to  give  the 
lion's  share  for  the  privilege  of  activity. 

ILLUSTRATION  OF   THE   MILL. 

As  an  illustration,  there  is  a  river  which,  by  a  costly 
dam,  will  become  a  continuous  source  of  power.  The 
opportunity  is  seized  by  an  energetic  individual,  who 
proceeds  to  make  the  dam  and  build  a  mill  for  grinding. 
To  make  the  comparison  complete,  we  must  suppose 
that  there  is  no  other  mill,  nor  can  be,  and  that  the 
people  cannot  grind  for  themselves.  This  mill  must 
grind  their  corn  or  they  can  have  no  bread.  The  owner 
of  the  mill  now  says,  "  I  will  grind  your  corn  for  half," 
and  the  people  are  thankful  he  is  satisfied  with  less  than 
the  whole  ;  or  he  may  not  wish  to  work  himself,  and 
say,  to  the  people,  "  You  may  grind  for  yourselves  and 
give  me  nine  tenths,  and  you  may  have  the  remaining." 
Under  these  circumstances  they  would  be  compelled  to 
obey  or  starve.  So  long  as  their  portion  sustained  them 
they  may  not  rebel,  and  to  find  that  minimum  would 
be  the  study  of  the  owner. 

The  injustice  of  such  an  arrangement  is  too  obvious 
to  require  serious  answer,  yet  it  is  a  mild  form  of  mo- 
nopoly. Cannot  the  mill-owner  say  to  the  people,  ' '  This 
is  my  mill,  I  built  it  and  the  dam,  and  by  foresight  dis- 
covered the  waterfall.  You  may  do  as  you  please  about 
bringing  your  corn.  If  you  do  not,  I  can  lock  my 
door."  They  plead,  "  We  cannot  have  our  corn  ground 
into  meal  any  where  else.  "We  must  bring  it."  "  Well," 
he  might  reply,  "  do  not  grumble,  then.  I  am  not  to 
blame  for  there  not  being  two  mills.  I  built  this  for 
myself,  and  not  for  you  ;  and  has  not  one  a  right  to  do 
as  he  pleases  with  his  own  ?" 

Justly  the  mill-owner  should  receive  reward  for  the 
labor  he  has  invested,  in  due  proportion  to  those  who 
use  it.  Because  he  can  exact  more  is  no  reason  why 
he  should.  He  has  no  right  to  the  work  the  powers  of 
Nature  are  doing  for  him  more  than  he  would  have  to 
the  air  or  the  sunshine.  These  forces  are  the  birthright 
of  all  men.  If  actuated  by  justice  he  would  say,  "  I  will 


CHARTER   OF    RIGHTS.  253 

take  so  much  as  will  pay  me  for  my  labor  past  and  pres- 
ent, or  you  may  grind  yourselves  and  give  an  equivalent 
for  my  part  of  the  labor." 

It  is  thus  seen  that  the  wrong  is  fundamental,  lying 
at  the  root  of  the  popular  idea  of  ownership,  which  is 
possession  and  the  power  to  hold  ;  whereas  true  owner- 
ship is  based  on  the  spiritual  law  of  uses. 

If  the  farmer  owns  his  farm,  cultivates  his  broad  acres 
of  grass  and  grain,  and  rears  his  domestic  herds  for  the 
purpose  of  increase  as  the  ultimate  end,  he  fails  in  his 
efforts.  The  purpose  of  all  his  labors  should  be  the  cul- 
ture of  his  family  and  himself.  More  than  this  it  is 
not  possible  for  him  to  do,  and  less  is  giving  the  control 
of  his  life  to  the  earth-side  of  his  nature,  which  has  no 
permanent  value.  He  has  ownership,  so  far  as  the 
gratification  of  physical  wants  is  demanded  for  his  high- 
est spiritual  attainments. 

By  the  present  monopoly,  the  Past,  instead  of  a  loving 
mother,  becomes  the  enemy  of  the  Present,  and  enslaves 
it  for  the  purpose  of  accumulating  a  stronger  power 
against  the  Future.  Day  by  day  the  lot  of  the  laborer 
becomes  harder,  and  to  achieve  success  more  difficult. 
Everything  is  grasped,  and  will  not  be  relinquished. 
While  ownership  is  natural  and  desirable,  it  should  not 
rest  alone  on  legal  enactment.  Whenever  exercised  for 
its  own  sake  it  must  work  disastrously,  as  the  exercise 
of  selfishness  always  does.  The  man  who  collects  a  vast 
library  for  the  purpose  of  owning  it,  while  he  cares  not 
to  read  nor  allows  any  one  else,  would  be  considered 
supremely  selfish  and  ignoble,  while  the  man  who  made 
the  collection  for  the  purpose  of  throwing  it  open  to  the 
public  for  the  benefit  of  all  would  be  regarded  as  a  bene- 
factor. It  is  precisely  the  same  with  all  wealth.  When 
grasped  for  self,  the  purposes  of  its  creation  are  defeated. 

A  greater  evil  than  has  yet  been  mentioned  results 
from  this  monopoly.  The  many,  who  are  compelled  to 
overwork  to  gain  a  sufficiency  to  supply  the  demands  of 
Hunger  alone,  having  no  time  nor  inclination  for  spirit- 
ual culture,  lose  all  the  advantages  of  life.  Denied  the 
first  right,  they  lose  by  default  all  the  others.  If  such 
monopoly  did  not  exist ;  if  Wealth  was  held  by  Benev- 


254  THE   ETHICS   OF    SCIENCE. 

olence  and  not  by  Selfishness  ;  if  the  better  and  nobler 
ideas  of  the  purposes  of  life  and  its  mutual  responsibil- 
ities were  entertained,  Hunger  would  not  only  have  the 
right  to  labor,  but  its  opportunities. 

The  Government  of  the  United  States,  at  a  day  too 
late  for  its  full  usefulness,  has  recognized  this  principle 
in  the  free  homestead  law,  by  which  the  actual  occupant 
becomes  the  owner  of  the  soil.  It  has  not,  be  it  regret- 
ted, forestalled  monopoly  by  just  laws. 

In  all  this  reasoning  we  have  understood  that  Labor 
is  to  be  directed  in  channels  for  the  good  of  man,  and 
not  to  his  detriment.  The  statement  may  be  safely 
made  that  one  half  of  all  the  labor  expended  by  man  is 
for  objects  deleterious  or  useless.  In  the  ministering 
to  the  habits  created  by  narcotics  and  alcoholic  stimu- 
lants, an  incalculable  amount  of  labor  is  expended  for 
the  ruin  of  fellow-men.  If  the  laborer  understands  the 
law  and  responsibility  of  labor,  he  could  not  conscien- 
tiously engage  in  work  which  is  not  only  useless,  but 
positively  and  unmitigatedly  bad  in  all  its  consequences. 

We  have,  then,  three  fundamental  rights  :  the  right 
to  air,  to  water,  to  food,  and  the  right  necessitated  by 
the  latter  to  labor,  with  the  opportunity  which  makes 
such  labor  productive. 

Also  that  Labor  has  the  right  to  its  own  productions, 
limited  by  the  law  of  highest  uses. 

These  may  be  regarded  as  physical  rights,  having 
which  we  may  consider  the  spiritual. 

LIBERTY. 

First  is  Liberty.  To  the  American  mind  that  man 
should  be  physically  free  is  axiomatic.  In  whatever 
station  of  life,  he  is  born  free.  His  muscles  are  for  the 
support  of  himself  and  for  the  use  of  no  other.  Except 
by  forfeiting  this  right  by  disregard  of  the  laws  of  So- 
ciety, he  cannot  lose  it. 

Of  the  freedom  of  the  mind  doubts  still  exist,  and  a 
vast  majority  live  in  abject  slavery. 

The  fetters  which  bind  the  body  may  be  unspeakably 
wrong  and  deplorable,  but  those  which  bind  the  soul  are 


CHARTER   OF    RIGHTS.  255 

incomparably  more  ruinous.  This  bondage  is  gained 
and  exercised  through  ignorance  and  the  superstition  it 
fosters.  It  is  this  which  maintains  the  hoary  wicked- 
ness of  Church  and  State.  Religion  has  been  the  hard- 
est master,  and  to  it  man  has  gone  down  abjectly  in  the 
dust.  It  has  forbidden  him  to  think  for  himself,  and 
he  has  received  through  a  blind  faith  the  wildest  dogmas. 

HAS   MAN"   THE   RIGHT   TO   THIKK   FOR   HIMSELF  ? 

Protestantism  answered,  "  Yes,"  but  it  added  there- 
after, "  to  think  as  Protestants  do  !"  From  whence 
came  the  right  of  a  church  to  dictate  what  a  man  shall 
think  or  believe  ?  Is  not  a  church  an  aggregation  of 
men,  and  does  a  body  of  men  acquire  a  right  not  pos- 
sessed by  them  as  individuals  ?  Can  they  as  a  whole  ar- 
rive at  a  truth  which  they  could  not  as  individuals  ? 
Having  a  body  carries  with  it  the  right  to  use  that  body 
for  its  natural  uses,  and  having  a  mind  gives  the  right 
to  use  that  mind  —to  think.  We  have  a  right  to  believe 
or  disbelieve  ;  to  read  such  books  as  may  interest  us  ;  to 
listen  to  such  discourses  ;  to  write  or  speak  as  we  please, 
subject  only  to  the  limitation  that  in  so  doing  we  do  not 
interfere  with  others'  rights  in  the  same  direction. 

It  may  be  urged  that  any  divergence  from  established 
customs  would  be  such  interference.  Sabbath-break- 
ing, for  instance,  might  be  thought  a  violation  of  the 
rights  of  those  who  regard  that  day  as  especially  holy. 
But  it  must  be  considered  that  no  one  can  justly  or  au- 
thoritatively say  to  another  what  is  holy  or  what  is  not 
holy.  If  the  day  is  to  them  holy,  they  may  use  it  for 
such  service  as  they  please,  and  allow  others  who  do  not 
agree  with  them  to  use  it  as  they  may  desire.  They 
have  no  right  over  the  day  except  for  themselves. 

It  may  be  claimed,  in  the  same  manner,  that  the 
Press,  although  free,  has  no  right  to  publish  pernicious 
doctrines.  Who  is  to  decide  what  pernicious  doctrines 
are  ?  To  church-members  materialism  or  atheism  would 
be  considered  exceedingly  so,  and  to  an  atheist  the 
church  dogmas  would  be  thought  exceedingly  harmful. 
There  is  fortunately  or  unfortunately  no  infallible  tri- 


25G  THE   ETHICS    OF    SCIENCE. 

bunal  to  which  to  appeal,  and  if  the  press  be  free  it  must 
be  allowed  to  express  views  on  all  subjects,  nor  be  pro- 
hibited except  in  case  of  gross  immorality.  Even  in 
such  case,  it  is  doubtful  whether  suppression  is  the 
proper  method.  Such  papers  are  not  the  cause,  but 
effect,  and  when  the  cause  is  removed  they  will  disap- 
pear. The  heralding  of  every  crime  by  the  press  at  first 
may  incite  to  crime,  but,  in  the  end,  the  certainty  of 
wide  exposure  becomes  a  strong  motive  against  its  com- 
mittal. The  argus  eye  of  the  newspaper  is  ever  open, 
and  there  is  a  scorpion's  lash  ready  at  any  moment. 

Itf   FKEEDOM   THERE    IS   SALVATION". 

The  failures  it  apparently  makes  grow  out  of  a  pre- 
ceding order  for  which  it  is  not  responsible,  as  the  flume 
is  not  for  the  injury  done  the  moth  that  is  dazzled  and 
burns  its  wings. 

Liberty  must  not  be  confounded  with  license,  which 
is  its  selfish  exercise  at  the  expense  of  others.  It  is  the 
mistake  of  the  suddenly  freed  slave  ;  of  the  emancipated 
serf  of  ignorance  and  superstition. 

America  is  said  to  be  free,  and  every  one  allowed  to 
think  as  they  please.  Yet  it  is  far  from  that  perfect 
liberty  which  is  desirable.  It  would  be  impossible  for 
a  Mohammedan  to  gain  an  official  position.  While  it 
is  not  true  that  every  one  is  allowed  to  worship  or  not 
worship,  the  tendency  is  toward  the  church,  and  a  large 
proportion  of  the  people  are  held  in  spiritual  bondage. 
If  man  has  the  right  to  think,  he  has  the  right  to  think 
as  he  pleases.  How  correctly  he  may  think,  how  truth- 
ful the  results  of  ''thinking,  depends  on  his  education. 
The  ignorant  man  is  a  slave  of  superstition.  His  mind 
is  not  reliable,  and  is  swayed  by  inferior  influences. 

BIGHT  OF   MENTAL  CULTURE. 

As  the  province  of  the  mind  is  thought,  which  is  the 
sum  of  all  uses,  and  the  apparent  purpose  of  life,  it  has 
the  right  to  the  means  of  its  cultivation.  In  other 
words,  the  possession  of  an  educable  mind  proves  its 


CHARTER   OF    RIGHTS.  257 

right  to  education.  Society  acknowledges  the  right, 
because  it  understands  the  advantage  conferred  is  recip- 
rocal. Education  is  the  food  of  the  mind,  as  bread  is 
that  of  the  body.  Education  is  not  the  narrow  training 
to  read  and  speak  as  taught  in  the  schools,  but  the  com- 
plete harmony  illustrated  in  the  chapter  on  "  The  Duty 
of  Culture."  One  may  read  and  write  well,  and  yet  be 
abjectly  ignorant. 

HAPPINESS. 

This  subject  may  be  argued  on  other  grounds,  and 
often  is.  It  is  the  right,  it  is  said,  of  every  being  to 
enjoy  the  largest  measure  of  happiness  compatible  with 
its  constitution.  Happiness  is  a  result,  and  should  not 
be  a  motive.  We  do  not  seek  food  that  we  may  be  happy, 
but  because  impelled  by  hunger.  We  may  be  very  happy 
when  we  secure  it,  but  that  is  an  after-effect.  The  ex- 
perience may  be  remembered,  and  in  that  manner 
enter  into  our  ideas  of  the  gratification  ;  the  primary 
motive  remains.  If  we  associate  happiness  with  the 
gratification  of  the  appetites  it  is  from  memory  of  ex- 
periences which  have  taught  that  such  gratification 
gives  pleasure.  In  the  same  manner  we  associate  misery 
with  experiences  of  great  deprivation  or  over-indul- 
gence. 

WOMAN'S  RIGHTS. 

. 

In  the  foregoing  discussion  the  word  man  is  used  in 
its  broad  acceptance  as  embracing  all  human  beings, 
and  it  must  be  understood  that  all  the  rights  belonging 
to  one  sex  equally  belong  to  the  other. 

To  decide  what  are  woman's  rights  there  is  but  one 
question,  Is  she  a  human  being?  If  "yes"  be  the 
reply,  then  she  has  all  the  rights  of  a  human  being. 
There  can  be  nothing  more  self-evident.  If  it  be  asked, 
Is  she  the  equal  of  man  ?  we  reply  that  she  is  equal 
1  in  some  respects,  inferior  and  superior  in  others.  Her 
constitution  and  the  sphere  it  prescribes  is  different 
from  his  in  a  portion  of  its  arc,  but  in  the  main  coin- 
cides. Her  equality  or  inequality,  however,  has  nothing 
to  do  with  the  question.  The  highest  form  of  civiliza- 


258  THE   ETHICS   OF   SCIENCE. 

tion-  must  give  woman  equal  rights  and  equal  opportu- 
nities with  man.  Emancipated  from  the  slavery  which, 
from  the  dawn  of  the  race,  has  been  her  lot,  and  freed 
from  the  mental  traits  this  slavery  has  cultivated,  her 
future  will  be  inconceivably  glorious.  She  is  now  be- 
hind man  in  the  race  because  she  has  been  retarded. 
Her  future  is  now  opening  before  her.  Everything  she 
may  desire  to  do  awaits  her  hand. 

It  is  pitiable  to  see  the  opponents  of  woman's  rights 
bring  as  evidence  anatomical  and  physiological  pecu- 
liarities, in  precisely  the  same  spirit  as  the  old  defend- 
ers of  slavery  did  that  of  the  hair,  the  color  of  the  skin, 
or  the  conformation  of  the  skull.  What  has  all  this  to 
do  with  rights  and  justice?  Would  they  prove  their 
mothers  not  to  be  members  of  the  human  family  ?  The 
question  is  not  of  Rights  of  Sex,  but  of  humanity,  and 
will  fade  into  and  be  solved  by  that  greater  issue. 

Far  more  than  man  has  woman  suffered  from  false 
ideas  and  superstitions,  and  has  not  even  yet  escaped  in 
the  full  measure  he  has  done.  In  the  early  age  of 
brute  force  she  was  made  a  slave,  and  it  has  taken  all 
the  ages,  by  means  of  the  refinement  of  culture,  to 
bring  her  liberation.  Religion  has  forged  her  chains 
and  prevented  their  being  cast  off.  She  was  made  the 
principal  agent  of  bringing  sin  into  the  world.  The 
mortal  pain  she  suffered  in  giving  birth  to  offspring  was 
the  token  and  effect  of  her  guilt.  Not  only  was  she  to 
be  enslaved,  but  her  master  had  justification  in  his 
tyranny  in  the  interpretation  of  God's  word  by  the 
priests.  If  man  has  been  made  to  bear  the  tortures  of 
continuous  martyrdom,  woman  has  been  made  the  target 
of  his  scorn,  the  recipient  of  his  hate,  because  for  her 
he  has  been  compelled  to  endure  this  suffering. 

That  old  despicable  idea  that  woman  is  inferior  to 

'   man  lingers  to-day,  as  expressed  in  the  greater  joy  over 

a  child  if  a  boy  than   if  a  girl.     Some  ages  ago  the 

mother  would  have,  in  her  shame,  strangled  the  girl  or 

thrown  her  into  the  river. 

The  fable  of  the  rib  is  the  justification  of  ownership 
of  body  and  soul,  and  countless  wives  have  been  brutal- 
ized into  their  graves — often  welcomed — by  practice  nur- 


CHARTEE    OF    RIGHTS.  259 

tured  by  this  fable  of  the  beast.     It  is  quite  time  all  this 
rubbish"  should  be   swept  out   of  the  world.     It  has 
blighted  and  cursed  loug  enough.     If  woman  is  inferior 
jto  man  it  is  because  of  ages  of  repression  by  his  brute 
1  strength  ;  by  the  force  of  heredity,  which  has  remorse- 
lessly stored  up  the  results  of  this  selection  of  what  has 
been  desirable  to  his  selfishness. 

It  would  take  many  generations,  even  if  the  absolutely 
right  views  were  now  accepted,  to  change  by  the  proc- 
esses of  growth,  and  so  purify  the  race  physically  and 
mentally,  that  reversion  would  not  occur. 

The  future  will  regard  the  views  of  woman's  posi- 
tion and  rights  now  entertained  by  the  masses  as  evi- 
dence of  a  low  civilization.  She  will  then  be  the  equal 
with  man,  and  have  absolute  control  over  herself.  She 
will  have  the  right  and  privilege  to  do  whatever  she 
wishes  to  do  in  the  same  measure  as  has  man,  with  the 
same  limitations.  So  clear  is  this  right  of  hers,  it  seems 
as  useless  to  argue  in  its  favor  as  would  be  the  attempt 
to  demonstrate  an  axiom. 

When  the  soul  awakes  from  the  lethargy  of  the  Kelig- 
ion  of  Pain  there  will  be  no  hesitancy  or  doubt.  The 
future  will  bring  a  civilization  beyond  the  dreams  of  the 
present,  for  the  past  and  the  present  has  had  only  a 
civilization  of  man,  while  the  future  will  have  that  of 
man  and  woman  also.  She  will  bring  the  spirituality 
of  the  feminine,  the  refinement,  the  ideal  which  the  past 
has  known  only  as  it  has  escaped  intermittently  from 
its  repressing  bondage. 

SUMMARY   OF   RIGHTS. 

The  child,  as  an  immortal  intelligence  capable  of  in- 
finite progress,  has  these  self-evident  rights  : 

To  air  and  water,  which,  requiring  no  artificial 
change,  and  incapable  of  ownership,  cannot  be  monop- 
olized. 

He  has  the  right  to  food  through  the  ministrations 
of  Love. 

He  has  a  right  to  be  clothed  and  sheltered  by  the  same. 

He  has  a  right  to  an  education.     Matured,  he  has  a 


260  THE    ETHICS   OF   SCIENCE. 

right  to  labor  in  whatever  direction  lie  pleases,  not  con- 
flicting with  others'  rights,  and  to  all  his  labor  produces. 
He  has  the  right  to  think,  and  as  thinking  can  never 
interfere  with  the  thinking  of  others,  he  has  here  per- 
fect freedom. 

In  speaking  and  writing,  in  putting  thought  into  ac- 
tion, there  is  the  limitation  by  the  sphere  of  others. 
This  limitation,  however,  is  daily  being  pushed  further 
away,  and  must  ultimately  be  obliterated,  except  so  far 
as  the  amenities  of  culture  and  refinement  dictate. 
Freedom  of  speech  and  of  the  press  embrace  their  own 
purification. 


X. 

DUTIES   AND    OBLIGATIONS   OF   THE   INDIVIDUAL. 

EIGHTS  presuppose  Duties.  Freedom  is  overshadowed 
by  obligations.  This  is  true  in  the  highest  sense  with- 
out relation  to  theological  dogmas.  The  system  of 
duties  and  obligations  created  by  the  latter  are  artificial 
and  foreign  to  the  constitution  of  man.  Theoretical 
duty  and  obligation  to  God,  or  the  gods,  has  been  the 
foundation  of  religion.  Theology  starting  with  a  false 
conception  of  God,  the  religion  arising  from  it  has  been 
vitiated  and  baseless.  Christian,  Jew,  and  Pagan  place 
the  same  great  stress  on  these  subjects,  and  the  priests 
and  clergy  are  the  interested  parties  to  enforce  acquies- 
cence. 

DUTIES   AND    OBEDIENCE   TO    GOD. 

To  obey  God  was  the  first  requisite  of  a  good  man. 
As  no  one  knew  or  could  know  what  God's  commands 
were,  the  priestly  order  declared  them.  To  obey  God 
was  to  obey  the  voice  of  the  priest.  Obedience  was  re- 
ligion, and  all  temporal  duties  sank  into  insignificance 
l>y  the  side  of  this.  To  obey  God  in  Egypt  meant  to 
worship  leeks  and  garlics  ;  in  Koine,  to  obey  the  oracles 


DUTIES   AND    OBLIGATIONS   OF   THE   INDIVIDUAL.  2G1 

of  a  multitude  of  gods  and  goddesses.  To  obey  him  in 
Turkey  means  to  believe  in  Mahomet  and  Al  Koran. 
To  obey  him  in  Christian  lands  is  to  believe  with  some 
one  of  the  Christian  sects. 

Perhaps  more  intolerance  has  grown  out  of  the  idea 
of  the  necessity  of  compelling  this  arbitrary  obedience 
than  any  other  dogma.  Allow  an  order  of  men  to  set 
themselves  up  as  God's  chosen  exponents,  and  give  them 
power  to  enforce  obedience,  and  there  is  nothing  at  which 
they  pause.  The  decay  of  the  priestly  order  has  shorn  it 
of  its  pQwer  of  enforcing  doctrines,  but  the  dogma  of 
obedience  and  duty  to  God  remain,  and  form  the  foun- 
dation of  the  Christian  religion.  Man  must  obey  the 
laws  of  his  being  and  of  the  physical  world  or  suffer. 
He  cannot  swerve  a  hair's-breadth  from  implicit  obedi- 
ence without  pain.  To  obey  is  not  a  duty,  it  is  a  neces- 
sity. This,  however,  is  not  obedience  as  understood  by 
theologians.  The  will  of  God  is  expressed  not  in  Na- 
ture, but  the  Bible.  To  believe  the  Bible  and  obey  the 
requirements  of  the  church  is  the  obedience  intended. 
Unqualifiedly  man  owes  no  such  obedience  and  has  no 
such  duties. 

SIN. 

Sin  is  not  the  refusal  to  meet  these  arbitrary  demands, 
but  the  yielding  to  the  impulses  of  the  lower  nature. 
Such  impulses  may  appeal  to  the  Reason  for  support, 
and  even  force  it  into  alliance.  Thus  the  drunkard, 
before  the  habit  is  formed,  may  have  a  reason  for  grati- 
fying his  desire,  and  he  will  reason  in  his  lowest  depths 
of  degradation.  Desire  itself  furnishes  a  reason.  While 
virtue  is  obedience  to  right,  reason,  and  intelligence,  sin 
may  be  regarded  as  the  unrestrained  action  of  the  Ap- 
petites and  Propensities.  Their  desire  to  do  is  their  rea- 
son therefor. 

HOW   CAN   WE    OWE   OBEDIENCE   TO    GOD? 

The  system  of  dogmatic  theology  grew  up  in  an  age 
which  unquestionably  received  the  personality  of  God. 
When  he  was  regarded  as  an  Asiatic  despot,  seated  on 


2G2  THE   ETHICS    OF    S^IEXCE. 

an  ivory  throne,  there  was  nothing  contradictory  in  the 
supposition  that  he  personally  demanded  obedience,  and 
to  disobey  excited  his  anger.  The  slow  relinquishment 
of  the  personality  of  God  has  left  this  doctrine  in  a  most 
precarious  state,  and  with  its  fall  churchianity  ceases 
to  be.  The  personality  of  God  is  an  irrational  theory, 
for  he  must  be  infinite.  If  infinite,  every  part  must  be 
infinite.  An  infinite  personality  must  have,  for  in- 
stance, an  infinite  hand  ;  but  if  his  hand  is  infinite,  fill- 
ing all  space,  then  there  will  be  no  space  for  the  re- 
maining organs.  Hence,  an  infinite  personality  is  ab- 
surd. 

If  God  is  a  principle,  or  the  sum  of  all  principles, 
man  must  obey  such  principles  as  are  expressed  in  his 
physical,  spiritual,  mental,  or  moral  constitution.  He 
can  know  nor  be  held  amenable  to  none  other.  He 
owes  no  obedience  to  any  arbitrary  authority.  This  in- 
ference is  equally  applicable  to  moral  action,  for  man 
could  not  comprehend  a  moral  principle  better  than  a 
physical,  unless  expressed  in  his  mental  constitution. 

The  nature  of  God,  which  has  always  formed  a  promi- 
nent feature  in  Christian  ethics,  has  little  interest  in  this 
discussion,  which  relates  not  to  God,  but  to  man.  Man's 
conception  of  God  must  grow  out  of  and  be  a  part  of 
himself,  as  he  can  form  no  idea  of  a  being  of  different 
qualities  from  himself. 

Happily,  theoretical  views  of  the  Deity  do  not  neces- 
sarily affect  the  true  system  of  morals.  The  grand 
foundations  of  llight  and  Justice  have  been  slowly  and 
painfully  builded  under  innumerable  forms  of  belief, 
and  the  moral  sages  of  the  world  alike  have  bowed  to 
the  shrines  of  Ormuzd,  Jupiter,  Allah,  and  Jehovah. 
The  problem  of  man's  Rights  and  Duties  is  solved  by  a 
study  of  man  himself,  and  not  by  foreign  revelation. 

Hence,  admitting  any  theory  of  the  existence  of  God, 
it  follows  that  an  infinite  good  being,  such  as  God  must 
be,  desires  man,  his  crowning  effort,  to  perfectly  till  the 
sphere  in.  which  he  has  placed  him.  To  do  so,  man 
must  be  true  to  the  principles  of  his  constitution,  and 
this  is  the  only  obedience  that  can  be  required  of 
him. 


DUTIES   AND    OBLIGATIONS   OF   THE    INDIVIDUAL.  263 


FORGIVENESS   AND     PARDON   FOR   SIN. 

Out  of  this  false  idea  of  a  personal  God  and  man's  re- 
lations to  him  has  grown  the  equally  false  dogmas  of 
punishment  and  forgiveness.  If  God  demanded  obedi- 
ence, he  must  have  the  means  to  enforce  his  commands. 
If  man  did  not  obey  his  artificial  requirements  he  must 
be  punished,  and  a  Hell  and  Devil  furnished  the  ready 
means.  If  man  disobeyed,  and  then,  through  fear  of 
the  terrible  consequences  or  the  influence  of  friends, 
returned  to  his  allegiance,  he  must  be  allowed  to  make 
his  peace  with  God  and  be  forgiven.  He  could,  in  this 
manner,  escape  the  consequences  of  his  sins.  Terrible 
is  the  significance,  and  humiliating  to  the  student  of 
history,  of  the  words  "  peace  with  God,"  "lost  from 
God,"  "reconciled  unto  God,"  "atonement,"  "sal- 
vation through  the  blood  of  the  lamb,"  "  regeneration" 
— an  endless  vocabulary,  in  which  is  fossilized,  igno- 
rance, credulity,  folly,  selfishness,  fear,  and  rascality. 

To  sin,  yet  escape  the  penalty  and  become  reconciled 
with  God,  are  even  to-day  important  problems  in  the- 
ology, at  which  eighty  thousand  ministers  in  the  United 
States  alone,  and  probably  three  times  that  number 
in  the  Christian  and  ten  times  that  number  in. 
the  Pagan  world,  are  engaged.  Many  a  scapegoat  has 
been  invented  before  and  since  the  one  allowed  by  the 
children  of  Israel  to  depart  into  the  wilderness,  bearing 
the  sins  of  the  whole  people.  The  Devil  is  the  prompter 
of  evil  with  Christians,  and  receives  the  blame  for  the 
sins  of  the  world.  Yet  as  man  is  claimed  to  be  free 
and  to  act  from  choice,  if  Satan  is  the  instigator,  his 
victims  receive  the  punishment.  In  ancient  times  men 
sought  to  atone  for  sin  by  sacrifices.  If  they  had  com- 
mitted a  great  sin,  they  made  an  unusual  sacrifice.  All 
the  nations  of  antiquity  offered  human  beings  on  their 
altars  on  great  occasions.  The  Hebrew  was  not  an  ex- 
ception, as  the  story  of  Isaac  proves.  Whatever  is  most 
pleasing  to  man  must  be  to  his  God,  and  hence  he  sac- 
rificed whatever  gave  him  joy.  The  best,  the  first  of 
the  flock  or  the  harvest,  the  most  useful,  were  for  the 
gods.  Some  of  the  South  Sea  Islanders  knock  out  a 


264  THE   ETHICS   OF    SCIENCE. 

tooth  ;  others  cut  off  a  finger.  The  Dervish  lashes  his 
bared  back  until  gory,  or  hangs  himself  upon  iron  hooks. 
The  Christian  blots  joy  and  pleasure  out  of  his  life  as 
unworthy.  His  God  demands  faith,  prayer,  and  change 
of  heart.  Man  is  lost  from  God,  and  only  by  faith  in 
Christ  can  be  redeemed. 

It  is  unquestionable  that  man  is  just  as  God  created 
him,  and  that  he  acts  just  as  God  desires  him  to  act, 
else  God  is  not  omnipotent  nor  good.  Being  infinite 
and  omnipresent,  it  is  difficult  to  understand  how  we 
can  become  "  lost"  from  him.  It  is  riot  manly  to  pur- 
sue a  sinful  course  for  years  and  allow  Christ  to  bear  the 
punishment.  His  blood  is  as  nothing  to  one  noble  act. 
If  man  cannot  escape  from  sin  except  in  this  manner, 
he  is  not  worth  saving.  He  in  his  best  estate  is  a  sneak 
and  a  coward. 

But  is  there  an  escape  ?  By  faith  and  prayer  ?  There 
are  fixed  and  unchangeable  methods  of  action  in  the 
world,  and  these  are  known  as  laws.  If  a  man  throw 
himself  from  a  precipice,  thus  allowing  gravitation  to 
act  unimpeded,  will  faith  and  prayer  save  him  or  pre- 
vent his  being  dashed  on  the  rocks  below?  If  all  the 
priests  of  Christendom  stationed  themselves  on  a  rail  way 
track  aud  should  attempt  to  stop  a  train  by  simple 
prayer,  their  united  voices  would  not  have  the  weight  of 
a  single  wave  of  a  red  flag.  Prayer  or  faith  will  not 
prevent  fire  from  burning,  nor  change  in  the  least  the 
order  of  the  world.  Moral  sins  may  not  be  as  tangible, 
but  their  influence  and  punishment  are  as  certain. 
Slaughtered  oxen,  hecatombs  of  human  victims,  or  ten 
thousand  bleeding  Christs  will  not  atone  for  the  least 
transgression  of  the  laws  of  our  being.  An  infinite  Gpd 
can  and  has  made  the  world  sufficiently  well  not  to  be 
compelled  to  be  nailed  to  the  cross  as  an  atonement. 

As  long  as  man  is  imperfect  he  will  no*  fully  comply 
with  the  laws  of  his  being,  and  will  suffer,  not  punish- 
ment, but  the  result  of  his  imperfect  compliance.  He 
need  not  expect  pardon  or  forgiveness.  The  words  are 
not  known  in  nature  or  with  God.  The  true  redemp- 
tion is  not  through  the  blood  of  Christna  of  India,  a 
pilgrimage  to  the  shrine  of  Mahomet,  or  the  efficacy 


DUTIES   AND   OBLIGATIONS   OF   THE   INDIVIDUAL.  265 

of  Christ's  blood,  but  by  compliance  with  the  laws  of  the 
physical  and  spiritual  worlds.  Knowledge  of  these  is 
the  true  Redeemer,  the  Saviour  of  the  world.  To  do 
right  is  a  passport  to  heaven.  Then  forgiveness  is  un- 
necessary, and  no  one  will  feel  in  doubt  whether  they 
are  of  the  "elect." 

^  The  doctrine  of  the  atonement  is  a  pleasing  one  for 
crime,  which  can  pursue  its  terrible  career,  and  at  the 
end  lift  its  hands  in  prayer  and  have  all  its  sins  washed 
away  !  Barely  is  there  a  murderer  who  does  not  slip 
through  the  hangman's  knot  into  heaven  !  A  religion 
which  teaches  that  a  man  may  enjoy  the  fruits  of  sin 
and  crime  and  then  escape  all  punishment  by  obtaining 
pardon  through  Jesus  Christ  is  verily  a  religion  of  ras- 
cality, offering  a  premium  on  vice/ 
/  First,  then,  if  we  ask,  Can  sin  be  pardoned  ?  we  an- 
swer, No  ;  for  there  is  no  pardoning  power  in  the  uni- 
verse. To  pardon  is  to  set  aside  the  consequences  of 
the  laws  transgressed,  and  as  laws  are  unchangeable, 
this  is  impossible.  > 

PUNISHMENT — PRESENT   AND   PUTUEE. 

God  nor  nature  seek  to  punish  the  offender  for  the 
sake  of  punishment.  The  idea  of  retribution  and  pun- 
ishment in  such  a  sense  came  from  confounding  terms. 
Natural  laws,  or  the  laws  of  God,  are  not  enactments 
recorded  in  changeful  words.  They  are  not  forces,  but 
the  channels  through  which  causes  run  to  their  effects. 
If  we  do  what  is  right,  which,  as  we  interpret  it,  is  to 
do  that  which  brings  the  greatest  sum  of  happiness,  we 
scarcely  know  there  are  laws,  for  we  pass  along  their 
fixed  grooves  so  easily.  But  there  are  other  causes  run- 
ning to  effects  quite  opposite.  In  the  physical  world 
the  effects  of  these  are  disease  ;  in  the  moral,  sin,  error, 
crime,  as  you  may  please  to  term  it.  These  laws  bring 
pain  or  punishment  inevitably. 

Take  an  example  in  the  physical  world.  The  healthy, 
robust  man  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  life,  strong  of  mus- 
cle, firm  of  nerve,  with  a  redundancy  of  strength,  mak- 
ing the  act  of  living  a  joy,  may  ignorantly  take  into 


266  THE    ETHICS    OF    SCIENCE. 

his  blood  a  specific  poison,  which  will  corrupt  the  foun- 
tains of  life,  breed  loathsome  ulcers,  rack  his  nerves  with 
tortures  to  which  no  inquisitor  ever  approached;  and 
the  physician  stands  powerless,  the  recuperative  ener- 
gies of  the  system  are  paralyzed,  there  is  no  cure.  Is 
ifc  said,  nature  does  not  punish?  See  this  terrible  re- 
sult, and  consider  if,  as  regarded  by  human  comprehen- 
sion, there  is  not  only  punishment,  but  almost  remorse- 
less torture.  The  man  is  tortured  through  life,  and  by 
heredity  his  offspring  to  the  third  and  fourth  genera- 
tion feel  the  lash.  His  poisoned  blood  poisons  theirs, 
and,  reproducing  itself  in  changing  forms,  engenders 
consumption,  ulcers,  cancers,  or  insidiously  and  unper- 
ceived  so  weakens  vitality  that  at  an  early  age  the 
children  sicken  and  die.  It  certainly  is  a  strange  system 
of  moral  philosophy  which  teaches  that  the  next  life  is 
a  direct  continuation  of  this  from  which  it  is  evolved, 
and  yet  wholly  distinct  from  it. 

Take  this  man  as  further  illustration  :  he,  ignorantly 
perhaps,  subjected  himself  to  the  causes  of  disease,  and 
the  effects  followed.  There  was  no  retreat,  no  forgive- 
ness to  the  bitter  end.  Eemaining  in  his  ignorance, 
he  might  feel  no  remorse,  and  if  a  Christian,  think  that 
his  sufferings  in  this  life  were  to  be  rewarded  by  extra 
happiness  in  the  next.  Perhaps  he  erred  knowingly,  in 
which  case  more  certainly  is  he  amenable  to  the  com- 
punctions of  conscience  ;  and  as  his  knowledge  increases 
with  every  step,  the  wrong  will  appear  more  heinous. 
Punishment  means  pain  inflicted  for  transgression.  Per- 
haps there  is  no  more  expressive  term  to  designate  the 
result  of  subjection  to  the  operation  of  causes  detri- 
mental to  well  being.  The  punishment  is  not  for  its 
own  sake,  and  is  really  the  movement  of  causes  to  effects 
with  the  same  certainty  as  those  which  yield  happiness. 

Now,  in  the  instance  before  us  the  sufferer  may  not 
be  a  victim  of  Grod's  displeasure,  yet  as  years  go  by 
there  is  no  hope  for  pardon,  or  that  the  processes  of  dis- 
ease will  bring  health.  They  run  their  course,  and  the 
cancer  which  eats  its  way  to  the  vitals  has  a  fixed  method 
of  growth. 

Are  we  to  suppose  that  the  spirit  of  such  an  one  will 


DUTIES   AND   OBLIGATIONS    OF    THE    INDIVIDUAL.  267 

be  the  same  after  death  as  it  would  have  been  had  he 
remained  in  perfect  health  ?  Will  there  be  no  moral 
contamination  nor  remorse,  when  the  sufferings  of  gen- 
erations are  brought  home?  There  is  not  essentially 
any  crime  in  the  gaining  of  wealth,  and  a  man  may  be 
exemplary  and  retain  great  riches.  But  we  know  this  : 
that  the  vastly  rich  sacrifice  themselves  to  the  amassing 
of  gain.  They  give  soul  and  body  to  that  end,  and  the 
result  is  that  they  are  morally  idiotic.  To  steal  a  rail- 
road, and  by  its  aid  steal  other  roads,  and  laugh  at  the 
sufferings  of  widows  and  orphans,  whose  wealth,  invested 
in  good  faith,  built  and  equipped  these  roads,  may  not 
in  this  life  produce  a  twinge  of  conscience,  but  that  does 
not  speak  for  all  time  to  come.  The  grasping  of  mill- 
ions as  a  veriest  swine,  and  holding  for  the  benefit  of 
self  sordidly,  may  even  in  this  life  give  a  low  kind  of 
pleasure,  but  the  time  will  come  when  all  these  posses- 
sions will  be  left  behind,  and  the  poor,  dwarfed  spirit 
stand  in  the  desert  of  his  selfishness.  Then,  as  his 
knowledge  increases,  he  will  not  only  feel  the  wrongs  he 
has  done  to  others,  but  will  perceive  the  good  he  might 
have  accomplished  with  the  means  placed  at  his  disposal. 
AVhen  he  fully  awakes  to  the  realization  of  his  past, 
will  he  not  feel  remorse,  shame,  and  regret  ?  And  what 
a  tedious  road  of  culture  lies  ahead  of  him,  constantly 
reproved  by  the  benevolent  helpfulness  of  angels  leading 
upward,  as  he  never  led  others  !  It  is  not  a  literal  hell 
of  fire  into  which  death  and  after  progress  brings  such 
spirits,  but  can  it  be  other  than  unutterably  wretched? 
In  the  same  manner  we  reason  in  regard  to  the  sui- 
cide. The  simple  fact  of  change  from  this  life  to  the 
next  may  not  yield  either  happinesss  or  misery.  A  per- 
son may  be  so  wretched  in  this  life  that  there  will  be 
no  increase  of  his  suffering  in  the  next  ;  but  this  does 
not  prove  that  death  opens  the  gate  of  joy  to  the  eman- 
cipated spirit.  It  cannot  get  away  from  itself.  The 
mother  who  takes  her  own  life  to  join  a  husband  and 
child  gone  before  her  may  not  be  shunned  by  them, 
may  receive  their  love,  but  the  desperation  of  the  means 
indicates  an  unbalanced  mind,  which  cannot  readily  re- 
cover its  normal  condition. 


rr     -  K  A  TinnT  "KT 


268  THE    ETHICS   OF    SCIEXCE. 

In  treating  this  subject,  physical  and  moral  forces 
are  too  often  confounded,  and  hence  the  conclusions 
drawn  therefrom  erroneous.  There  intrinsically  is  a 
wide  difference  between  the  violation  of  a  physical  and 
moral  law,  and  to  draw  illustrations  from  one  in  reason- 
ing on  the  other  is  fallacious.  To  burn  our  finger, 
either  by  accident  or  design,  is  not  a  crime  ;  we  subject 
ourselves  to  the  force  of  heat,  which,  in  performing  its 
work,  disorganizes  our  flesh,  and  through  the  torn 
nerves  we  experience  pain.  The  vital  force  at  once  sets 
about  repairing  the  injury.  We  are  the  same  individ- 
uals, without  the  least  change  in  our  character.  Even 
if  the  injury  is  ineffaceable,  and  the  suffering  ends  by 
death,  the  character  remains  unchanged.  When,  how- 
ever, one  yields  to  passion,  trespassing  on  the  rights  of 
others,  his  character  is  changed  thereby,  inasmuch  as 
intellect,  reason,  conscience  should  govern  and  control, 
whereas  he  gives  rein  to  the  lowest  animal  faculties. 
This  we  call  sin  and  crime.  Granted  conscience  is  so 
weak  it  does  not  reprove  him,  and  he  enjoys  the  fruits 
of  his  sin.  If  we  accept  the  doctrine  of  progress  in 
spirit  life,  as  well  as  in  this,  the  time  must  come  when 
the  criminal's  conscience  will  not  be  weak,  when  it  will 
become  the  dominant  faculty.  How,  then,  will  he  re- 
gard the  black  record  of  the  wasted  and  abused  past  ?  If 
not  with  regret  and  remorse,  then  there  is  so  great  con- 
stitutional change  at  death  that  identity  is  as  good  as 
lost. 

DUTY   OF   PKAYEE. 

The  savage,  when  overawed  by  the  elements,  cries  out 
in  terror  to  their  invisible  personification,  and  implores 
the  Being  he  thus  creates  in  fancy.  This  is  the  begin- 
ning of  prayer.  For  it  is  necessarily  a  personal  God, 
capable  of  changing  the  laws  of  nature  and  the  order  of 
events,  who  hears  and  is  changed  in  his  purpose  by  the 
prayer  that  is  offered.  If  he  is  not  thus  changed,  if 
events  follow  a  determined  plan,  prayer  is  useless.  It 
is  utterly  impossible  to  appeal  to  an  impersonal  being, 
to  a  principle  or  combination  of  principles.  Of  the 
countless  millions  of  prayers  made  by  Buddhist,  Mo- 


DUTIES   AND   OBLIGATIONS    OF  THE   INDIVIDUAL.  269 

hammedan,  and  Christian,  there  is  nothing  cognizant  to 
human  intelligence  more  certain  than  never  one  has 
been  answered  by  a  personal  interference  of  any  deity, 
or  that  any  law  of  nature  has  been  changed.  This  alone 
ought  to  silence  forever  the  advocates  of  constant  appeal 
to  "  the  throne  of  grace."  The  duty  of  prayer  depends 
entirely  on  the  character  of  its  objects.  If  an  autocrat 
sits  on  the  throne  of  the  universe,  overseeing  and  super- 
intending the  movement  of  everything,  and  has  com- 
manded us  to  pray,  then  it  is  our  duty  to  do  so.  If, 
however,  there  be  no  such  autocrat,  and  we  have  no 
command,  there  can  be  no  such  obligation.  We  cannot 
implore  principles  and  laws.  Gravitation  would  draw  a 
saint  over  a  precipice,  despite  his  prayers,  with  the  same 
energy  it  would  a  stone.  There  is  not  a  religionist  in 
the  world  who  dare  to  prove  the  efficacy  of  prayer  in 
the  incontrovertible  manner  of  such  an  appeal.  To 
escape  this  unpleasant  certainty,  it  is  said  prayer  does 
not  affect  the  physical  world,  its  province  is  the  moral. 
This  of  course  removes  it  where  demonstration  is  far 
more  difficult.  But  it  has  been  held  up  to  recent  times 
that  prayer  was  efficacious  in  the  material  world.  The 
Bible  teaches  it.  The  prayer  of  Joshua  caused  the  sun 
and  moon  to  stand  still,  and  it  is  said  that  if  one  have 
faith  as  large  as  a  grain  of  mustard-seed  he  may  re- 
move mountains  with  his  prayers.  The  prayer  of  Jesus 
fed  the  multitude  with  five  loaves  and  two  fishes.  Mill- 
ions daily  offer  prayers  for  like  objects,  expecting  like 
results.  The  failure  of  tangible  evidence  has  caused 
a  partial  withdrawal  of  this  claim. 

It  is  now  said  that  prayer,  although  it  may  not  affect 
God  or  change  the  order  of  nature,  may  react  on  the 
supplicant,  and  thus  become  of  great  benefit.  Prayer 
in  time  of  mental  or  physical  suffering  may  confirm  res- 
ignation, which,  by  passive  endurance  of  the  inevitable, 
is  one  of  the  most  praiseworthy  traits  of  human  nature 
from  a  religious  standpoint.  In  this  manner  it  is  a 
Bource  of  strength.  Even  in  this  respect  the  utterance 
of  prayer  is  like  the  dog  baying  the  moon.  He  changes 
not  her  course,  but  works  himself  into  a  state  of  excite- 
ment, and  if  she  pass  under  a  cloud,  may  think  his  bark 


270  THE   ETHICS   OF   SCIENCE. 

has  driven  her  out  of  the  heavens.  If  God  sends  the 
chastening  rod,  it  is  not  only  folly,  but  sinful  to  repine. 
He  expects  no  vain  questioning  of  his  goodness.  To 
rebel  is  a  waste  of  strength  ;  to  submit  is,  therefore,  a 
gain  ;  and  if  the  mind  be  actuated  by  a  lofty  idea  that 
we  are  under  the  special  care  of  God,  who,  however 
hard  he  may  chastise,  will  hold  us  from  harm,  we  are 
strong  as  Hercules,  and  invincible  to  the  pangs  of  suffer- 
ing. To  have  this  effect  it  must  proceed  from  belief. 
We  must  have  faith  or  there  will  be  no  reaction.  The 
child  may  receive  pleasure  in  lisping  to  the  unknown  in 
which  it  trusts,  and  the  savage  feel  that  he  is  one  with 
the  great  Spirit  by  his  offerings  of  tobacco  or  game  ; 
they  who  have  advanced  beyond  these  early  and  mistaken 
ideas  can  feel  none  of  these  emotions.  They  have  no 
personality  to  which  to  appeal,  and  their  knowledge  of 
the  inevitable  action  of  causes  is  not  promotive  of  de- 
votion. 

From  a  profound  knowledge  of  nature  we  may  have 
faith,  confidence,  and  perfect  trust  in  the  laws  of  the 
world,  yet  reverence  we  cannot  feel,  for  that  implies 
personality.  We  cannot  reverence  impersonality  nor 
can  we  experience  piety,  which  is  based  on  reverence 
and  love  of  the  divine  personality,  and  a  desire  to  obey 
his  wishes.  These  qualities  are  artificial  creations,  and 
are  not  included  in  our  understanding  of  duties  and 
obligations.  Not  that  whatever  is  beautiful  or  benefi- 
cial in  these  traits  is  lost,  but  that  they  are  refined,  and 
directed  to  their  proper  objects. 

FAITH   RESTING   ON   KNOWLEDGE. 

Faith,  the  sheet  anchor  of  religion,  may  be  more  firm- 
ly grounded  on  knowledge  than  on  ignorance,  as  the 
faith  of  a  man  is  superior  to  that  of  a  child.  Sweet, 
indeed,  is  it  for  the  worshipper  to  rest  in  the  arms  of 
implicit  faith  arising  from  utter  ignorance.  There  is 
no  need  of  the  effort  of  thinking.  No  doubts  assail,  no 
antagonism  of  theories  ;  no  jar  to  shake  the  implicit 
trust.  Out  of  this  lethargy  to  awake  is  to  advance. 
To  awake  is  to  be  torn  with  doubts.  Before  knowledge 


DUTIES   AND    OBLIGATIONS   OF   THE    INDIVIDUAL.  271 

Is  gained  scepticism  rules — terrible  rule.  The  circle  is 
completed  by  a  return  to  faith,  this  time  based  on  the 
knowledge  of  the  laws  of  the  world.  They  never  change, 
and  are  without  shadow  of  turning.  Implicitly  can  we 
trust  them,  and  again  the  happiness  of  rest  is  ours. 
What  has  been  gained  by  this  mighty  cycle  which  has 
taken  mankind  several  thousand  years  to  accomplish, 
and  through  which  every  individual  passes  ?  We  are 
prepared  for  the  comprehension  of  truth  and  the  infinite 
life  before  us.  We  have  become  active  entities  instead 
of  passive  receptacles. 

NATURAL   DUTIES. 

Man  has  natural  Duties  and  Obligations,  dependent 
on  his  constitution.  Rights  are  overshadowed  by 
Duties.  First,  and  at  the  foundation  of  all  others,  is 
that  of  the  preservation  of  the  integrity  of  his  physical 
body.  That  condition  is  known  as  health,  when  every 
organ  performs  its  natural  function  in  perfect  harmony 
with  all  the  others. 

It  is  a  crime  to  be  sick.  The  knowledge  of  the  effects 
of  food,  of  activity  and  rest,  and  the  elements  which 
environ,  will  in  the  future  teach  how  health  may  be 
conserved. 

So  intimately  is  the  spiritual  blended  with  the  phys- 
ical that  the  inharrnony  of  the  latter  affects  the  former, 
and  although  at  times  special  advancement  is  made 
under  most  painful  physical  conditions,  it  maybe  stated 
as  a  rule  that  spiritual  culture  rests  on  the  harmony  of 
physical  functions.  Hunger  and  thirst  must  be  an- 
swered and  the  wants  of  the  body  supplied  before  there 
is  force  for  spiritual  work. 

The  preservation  of  health,  then,  is  a  cardinal  duty, 
carrying  the  obligation  not  only  of  carefulness,  but  of 
the  acquisition  of  a  knowledge  of  the  laws  on  which  it 
depends. 

OF    SPIRITUAL   CULTURE. 

The  object  of  life  is  the  perfection  of  spirit ;  hence 
the  constant  effort  to  exalt  the  life  and  devote  it  to 


272  THE   ETHICS   OF   SCIENCE. 

noble  purposes,  the  rule  of  Love  over  the  lower  facul- 
ties, is  an  unceasing  duty.  The  care  of  the  body  is  not 
only  for  the  body's  self,  but  for  the  spirit.  If  'it  stop 
with  the  body  it  fails  in  the  primary  object  of  human 
life.  The  processes  and  methods  of  superior  culture 
need  not  be  specially  mentioned  here,  as  they  form  the 
context  of  this  entire  work. 

DUTY   OF   CHILDBED. 

To  the  ministrations  of  love  the  child  owes  obedience. 
For  a  time  it  reverts  to  the  ancestral  savage,  and  is  gov- 
erned by  the  same  motives.  Its  intellect  and  morality 
are  last  to  develop.  It  is  ruled  by  impulse  and  emotion. 
It  is  presumable  that  its  parents  have  outgrown  this 
stage,  and  hence  for  the  time  their  Reason  and  Con- 
science must  guide  the  child.  To  these  faculties  the 
child  owes  obedience.  It  owes  none  to  selfishness.  It 
asked  not  for  existence,  which  is  bestowed  by  the  par- 
ents, and  owes  allegiance  only  to  the  love  which  shall 
minister  to  its  highest  welfare. 

The  present  status  of  parents  and  children  has  no 
bearing  as  evidence  against  this — perhaps  so  considered — 
Utopian  view.  The  biblical  scheme  of  force,  of  brute 
coercion  by  the  rod, 'has  been  discarded  by  those  who 
have  grown  into  the  atmosphere  of  love.  If  the  child 
cannot  be  influenced  by  love,  it  cannot  by  fear.  It  may 
yield  to  force,  but  there  will  be  no  change  of  mental 
qualities,  which  make  yielding  ,of  value.  If  severity 
governs,  it  fosters  revenge,  hate,  falsehood,  and  when 
the  subjects  escape  they  are  either  ruled  by  those  fac- 
ulties, or  yield  to  uncontrolled  license.  As  the  parent 
treats  the  child,  so  will  the  child  treat  the  parent  in  the 
after  years  ;  and  when  old  age  reverses  their  relations, 
abuse,  contumely,  and  scorn  will  repay  the  harsh  word 
and  the  use  of  the  merciless  rod.  If  parents  are  abused 
.  by  their  children,  they  receive  what  they  themselves 
have  sown. 

DUTY    OF    PARENTS. 

The  culture  of  an  immortal  germ,  and  shaping  its  be- 
ing for  infinite  uses,  is  one  of  the  most  momentous  un- 


DUTIES   AND    OBLIGATIONS   OF   THE    INDIVIDUAL.  273 

derfcakings  possible  to  contemplate.  The  parents  are 
creators,  and  their  creation  is  the  highest  object  in  na- 
ture. Their  influence  for  good  or  evil  will  extend  into 
remote  ages.  The  rule  by  severity  lingers  in  its  strong 
last  citadel,  the  prisons,  and  the  old  plea  is  made  of 
strength  meeting  strength  ;  forgetting  that  the  smallest 
strand  of  Love  is  stronger  than  the  combined  forces  of 
all  the  passions. 

The  old  idea  entertained  by  parents  that  the  child 
must  obey  them,  whatever  they  commanded,  should  be 
discarded.  The  parent's  right  of  command  is  not  based 
on  parentage,  but  on  true  superiority  manifested  in  love. 
This  is  always  obeyed,  and  obedience  excites  respond  ing 
qualities  in  the  child,  as  the  rod  used  in  anger,  as  it  al- 
ways is,  excites  anger,  hate,  and  revenge. 

The  position  of  parent  is  self-imposed,  and  should  be 
assumed  with  a  full  sense  of  its  vast  obligations.  The 
belief  that  children  came  by  special  providence,  and 
were  bestowed  by  God  in  preordained  numbers,  has  been 
a  potent  cause  of  conjugal  sin  and  misery.  They  should 
have  existence  through  parental  desire,  and  thus  the 
first  duty  of  the  welcome  of  love  be  assured  to  them. 
That  mankind  have  continued  to  grow  better  and  wiser 
under  the  past  system,  which  has  forced  children  into 
the  world  by  unbridled  passion,  received  them  as  dis- 
tasteful burdens,  and  given  them  the  least  possible  at- 
tention, shows  the  persistency  of  evolution. 

The  child  should  be  welcomed  with  love,  and  its  birth- 
day held  as  a  memorial.  Its  physical  wants  should  be 
answered,  and  its  spiritual  growth  cultured  with  unfal- 
tering care. 

But,  it  is  objected,  this  is  fanciful,  for  how  can  the 
poor  perform  these  offices,  which  even  the  wealthy  fail 
to  do  for  want  of  means  ! 

We  answer,  that  this  objection  cannot  be  urged  against 
the  principles  we  have  stated.  They  cannot  for  a  mo- 
ment be  doubted  by  any  one.  Their  practical  applica- 
tion depends  on  the  political  economist,  and  if  society 
is  in  such  a  state  that  it  cannot  be  just  to  its  children, 
that  state  should  be  changed  as  soon  as  possible. 

It  is  not  the  number  of  children  that  gives  strength 


274  THE    ETHICS    OF   SCIENCE. 

to  society,  it  is  their  perfection  ;  and  hence  it  is  better 
to  have  one  child  thoroughly  reared  and  cultured  than 
the  largest  neglected  family. 

DUTIES   TO  SOCIETY. 

The  present  system  of  morals,  if  it  may  be  called  a 
system,  practically  is  a  system  of  selfishness.  With 
rare  exceptions  the  daily  lives,  even  of  the  most  devoutly 
religious,  show  that  they  are  atheists  at  heart  and  with- 
out faith  in  a  future  life,  for  they  order  their  conduct 
after  the  advantages  of  to-day. 

If  there  were  but  one  human  being  in  the  universe, 
that  being  might  be  an  individual  sovereign.  There 
would  be  no  reciprocal  relations,  for  to  him  there  could 
be  no  social  or  moral  world.  However  strong  his  moral 
and  social  faculties  might  be,  they  could  not  be  called 
into  action,  because  there  would  be  nothing  to  excite 
them.  This  is  the  isolation  and  dreary  waste  of  indi- 
vidual sovereignty,  an  impossible  state.  The  individ- 
ual cannot  exist  alone  ;  millions  of  others  must  be 
forced  around  him,  with  whom  he  comes  in  continuous 
contact.  If  he  lose  somewhat  of  his  individuality,  he 
gains  immeasurably  by  reciprocity.  Without  marriage 
he  could  know  nothing  of  the  joys  of  conjugal  love  ;  the 
union  of  heart  and  purpose,  of  rnind  and  body  with 
another,  or  the  refining,  purifying  power  of  such  devo- 
tion. Without  becoming  a  parent  he  would  never  know 
the  happiness  of  caring  for  and  rearing  children,  and 
the  thousand  joys  they  bring.  He  would  remain  cold 
and  emotionless,  thinking  only  of  himself.  Paternity 
and  maternity  call  the  entire  range  of  those  high  quali- 
ties we  have  designated  as  Love  into  action,  and  al- 
though at  first  they  are  directed  to  the  offspring,  under 
proper  guidance  they  expand  outward  to  society  at  large. 
Without  society  the  network  of  reciprocal  relationship, 
which  forms  a  large  share  of  earthly  experience,  would 
remain  unknown. 

Hence  the  individual  is  bound  with  adamantine 
cords  to  society,  which  he  can  no  more  break  than  he 
can  blot  out  his  own  existence.  His  interests  compel 

I 


DUTIES    AND    OBLIGATIONS    OF   THE    INDIVIDUAL.  275 

him  to  become  cognizant  of  the  condition  of  all  hu- 
manity, even  to  the  farthest  isles  of  the  sea.  He  is 
conscious  that  his  own  status  depends  on  that  of  all 
others,  and  when  he  elevates  from  crime  or  ignorance 
a  single  hapless  being,  he  elevates  the  temperature  of 
the  moral  atmosphere  of  the  world. 

At  present  these  relations  are  coarsely  determined, 
and  concretely  expressed  by  laws.  They  were  more 
rudely  expressed  in  the  past.  Their  execution  is  referred 
to  brute  force.  This  legal  expression  usually  places  the 
greatest  stress  of  obligation  on  artificial  requirements, 
and  ignores  the  great,  underlying  principles  of  social 
justice  and  morality  precisely  in  the  same  manner  as 
religion  places  love  of  God  first  and  love  of  man  second 
in  importance.  If  we  were  to  give  the  cause  of  the 
brutality  of  law,  we  should  point  to  the  fact  that  laws 
are  fixed  in  comparison  to  growing  humanity,  and  have 
descended  from  a  savage  past.  Why  they  have  not  been 
ameliorated  is  because  the  element  of  love  has  been  ex- 
cluded from  legislation  in  the  person  of  woman.  Leg- 
islation because  of  this  is  severe,  and  its  logic  is  com- 
pulsion. 

The  artificial  requirements  of  legislation,  of  custom 
and  public  opinion  are  burdens  often  grievous  to  be 
borne,  and  the  antipode  of  right  and  justice,  and  so  far 
from  it  being  a  duty  to  observe  them  when  they  conflict 
with  justice,  it  is  a  most  imperative  duty  to  discard 
them. 

DUTY    AS   A    SOUKCE    OF    STEENGTH. 

Allegiance  to  Duty  is  among  the  strongest  motives 
which  actuate  the  human  breast.  History  teams  with 
examples  of  high  resolve  and  self-sacrifice,  and  the 
adoration  of  succeeding  ages. 

When  Xerxes,  with  the  superb  army  of  Persia  and 
allied  hordes  drawn  from  every  province  of  his  vast  em- 
pire, in  all  a  million  of  men,  marched  on  Greece,  he 
considered  the  conquest  of  that  little  country,  forming 
but  a  dot  on  the  map  of  his  empire,  an  easy  task.  He 
knew  not  the  power  of  a  single  human  soul  fully  im- 
bued with  the  principles  of  justice,  sense  of  honor,  and 


276  THE    ETHICS    OF    SCIENCE. 

unfailing  loyalty  to  duty.  All  his  vast  army,  drawn 
from  the  banks  of  the  Oxus  to  the  Ethiopians  beyond 
the  confines  of  Egypt ;  from  the  JEgean  Sea  to  remote 
India  ;  gorgeous  armor-clad  Persians,  lords  of  the  realm  ; 
cotton-vested  Indians  ;  Assyrians  with  brazen  helmets  ; 
painted  Nubians  ;  warriors  seeking  renown  and  delight- 
ing in  carnage ;  rustics  drawn  from  field  and  forest ; 
Lycians  armed  with  bows,  Chaldeans  with  clubs,  Scyth- 
ians with  lasso  and  dagger  ;  in  solid  phalanx,  with  sword 
and  spear  ;  myriads  on  foot,  with  escorts  of  clouds  of 
Arabians  on  the  fleet  steeds  and  dromedaries  of  the  des- 
ert ;  terrible  engines  for  hurling  masses  of  rocks,  with 
war  chariots  from  Babylon,  Africa,  and  India — all  united 
and  hurled  in  an  avalanche  of  fury  were  not  equal  to 
the  strength  of  one  man  encased  in  the  armor  of  justice. 

The  single  arm  of  Leouidas,  Sparta's  noble  king,  ar- 
rested its  course  and  shattered  it  in  foam.  He  buckled 
on  his  armor,  and  with  a  chosen  band  determined  to  die  in 
the  pass  of  Thermopylae.  Xerxes  ordered  forward  the  ten 
thousand  Immortals.  The  Spartans,  worn  with  inces- 
sant struggle,  sorely  wounded,  and  with  broken  spears 
and  swords,  without  a  murmur,  sank  beneath  the  count- 
less hosts  of  their  assailants.  The  heroic  soul  of  Leoni- 
das,  trained  to  feel  that  life  was  nothing  if  dishonored 
by  falsehood  to  trust,  bore  the  burden  of  duty.  He  im- 
bued his  followers  with  his  spirit.  When  one  was  re- 
quested to  bear  a  message  home,  he  replied,  "  Our  deeds 
will  tell  all  Sparta  wishes  to  know." 

Who  conquered  ?  Every  Greek  was  slain,  but  the 
Persians  met  defeat.  Xerxes,  appalled  by  such  heroism, 
inquired  how  many  more  such  men  there  were  in  Greece, 
and  was  answered  that  Sparta  alone  had  eight  thousand 
who,  if  occasion  demanded,  would  do  as  Leonidas  had 
done.  The  blood  of  that  devoted  band  stained  not  the 
rocky  pass  in  vain.  The  mountain  became  an  altar, 
and  all  Greece  saw  its  red  stream  and  smoke  ascending 
to  heaven.  Her  people  became  united  as  one  soul,  with 
garments  purified  by  this  baptism  of  blood,  and  Salamis 
and  Marathon  were  sacrifices  of  the  barbarian  hordes 
offered  to  the  manes  of  the  heroes  of  Thermopylae. 
The  myriads  of  invaders  were  powerless  before  antagonists 


DUTY    AND    OBLIGATIONS   OF   SOCIETY.  277 

who  knew  no  law  bnt  of  honor  and  justice  ;  no  allegiance 
but  to  the  demands  of  duty  ;  no  result  but  victory. 

One  great  soul  comprehending  and  unselfishly  devoted 
to  its  duty  is  stronger  than  the  combined  forces  of  the 
world. 


XI. 

DUTY   AND   OBLIGATIONS   OF    SOCIETY. 

NATURE  is  .1  remorseless  strife  of  all  against  all ;  a  piti- 
less struggle  to  annihilate  competitors.  Selfishness  and 
the  passions  are  the  impelling  motives.  This  terrible 
struggle  for  existence,  by  which  the  stronger  dominate 
over  the  weak,  is  the  Darwinian  cause  of  ascent,  and 
has  been  carried  into  history  by  his  school,  and  made 
even  an  apology  for  cruelty,  selfishness,  and  heartless 
disregard  of  consequences  to  the  suffering  individual. 
It  is  forgotten  that  when  we  reach  the  plane  of  human- 
ity a  new  and  distinct  element  enters  into  the  problem. 
The  intellectual  and  moral  nature  of  man  is  opposed  to 
this  antagonism.  Such  is  the  momentum  it  has  ac- 
quired, it  is  not  checked  by  a  single  effort.  These  fac- 
ulties began  their  growth  and  have  expanded  in  the 
midst  of  this  struggle  until  they  have  become  controlling 
influences.  The  animal  man  may  be  impelled  by  ani- 
mal forces,  but  the  spiritual  man  is  governed  by  a  higher 
code.  It  is  no  longer  burly  strength  and  rude  selfish- 
ness ;  it  is  the  gentle  power  of  fostering  love.  The  weak 
are  no  longer  trodden  under  foot,  the  unfortunate 
pressed  to  the  wall ;  asylums  and  hospitals  are  initial 
expressions  of  this  grand  love  and  benevolence  which 
slowly  is  taking  the  place  of  force. 

There  was  a  time  when  man  existed  in  the  wilds  of 
the  primitive  world,  an  individual  sovereign.  What  his 
condition  then  was  we  may  learn  from  the  savage  peo- 
ple, who  are  nearly  as  low  as  he  was  then,  such  as  the 
Australians,  the  Bosjesman,  and  the  forest  tribes  of 


278  THE    ETHICS    OF   SCIENCE. 

Borneo,  although  none  of  these  reach  the  depth  of  sav- 
ageness  of  this  autocrat  of  the  forest.  The  branches  of 
the  trees  furnished  protection  from  wild  beasts  and 
from  the  storm,  or  a  more  secure  refuge  was  sought  in 
the  clefts  of  the  rocks.  Man  was  alone.  He  lived  ex- 
clusively for  himself,  like  the  animals  on  which  he 
preyed  or  which  preyed  on  him,  and  had  no  thoughts 
beyond  the  gratification  of  his  animal  instincts. 

The  history  of  civilization  is  that  of  progress  from 
this  estate.  The  problem  it  presents  is  this  :  "  Given 
a  brute,  how  shall  brutality  be  eliminated  and  the  di- 
vinely human  evolved  ?' ' 

THAT   PREHISTORIC    MAK 

stands  before  us,  brawny,  sinewy,  with  shaggy,  unkempt 
locks  and  scraggy  eyebrows,  from  beneath  which 
gleam  black  and  sunken  eyes,  cunning,  shrewd,  treach- 
erous. The  jaws  are  furnished  with  prominent  teeth 
covered  with  coarse,  sensual  lips  ;  the  nose  is  short 
and  prominent.  Over  his  shoulders  is  thrown  the  skin 
of  some  wild  beast ;  a  club  formed  from  a  broken  branch 
or  a  stone  is  his  weapon  of  offence  and  defence.  He  is 
too  selfish  to  be  gregarious.  He  is  a  hermit  in  the  wilds 
of  the  primeval  world.  His  hand  is  against  every  other, 
and  every  other  is  against  him.  There  are  no  tribes. 
He  even  shuns  the  ties  of  family.  The  mother  clings 
to  her  offspring  until  it  is  able  to  care  for  itself,  and 
then  the  ties  are  broken,  never  to  be  renewed. 

Such  is  the  startling  picture  drawn  by  those  who  have 
explored  the  evidences  of  man's  primitive  history,  pass- 
ing downward  through  the  lake  deposits  of  Switzerland, 
that  stand  on  the  borders  of  historic  time,  into  the 
beds  of  drift  gravel,  where  the  only  vestiges  remain  to 
prove  man  existed  in  the  days  preceding  the  glacial 
epoch,  a  contemporary  of  the  mastodon,  at  a  time  when 
Europe  was  a  tropic  clime,  inhabited  by  the  lion,  tiger, 
rhinoceros,  and  the  elephant,  are  the  flakes  of  flint,  so 
rude  as  to  have  passed  as  natural  fractures  washed  from 
an  older  formation.  Out  of  the  wreck  of  this  forgotten 
world,  whose  existence  no  one  dreamed  of  fifty  years 


DUTY   AND    OBLIGATIONS    OF   SOCIETY.  279 

ago,  fragments  of  bone  and  brcken  skulls  show  the  low 
estate  of  ancestral  man. 

How  vast  the  interval  between  that  time  and  his  first 
appearance  on  the  highlands  of  Asia  in  a  vaguely  de- 
fined historic  character  ! 

DAWN   OF   CIVILIZATION. 

The  revelations  of  geology  are  here  met  by  tradition. 
In  the  dawn  we  perceive  the  form  of  Chaldean  civiliza- 
tion, and  beyond  that,  misty  in  outline,  colossal  in  half- 
defined  magnitude,  older  empires,  which  arose  and  sank 
in  the  interminable  waves  of  time.  But  the  theological 
record  by  no  means  touches  the  historic.  Countless 
ages  intervene,  which  the  fancy,  aided  by  the  study  of 
savage  people,  cannot  even  outline. 

There  is  the  prognathous  skull  of  the  drift,  far  from 
the  lowest,  for  the  ages  have  swept  away  all  trace  of 
numberless  preceding  races,  itself  indicative  of  great 
advancement.  It  is  thick,  marked  with  great  knobs 
and  ridges  for  the  attachment  of  strong  muscles.  It  is 
low-browed,  broad  through  the  base,  extended  backward, 
drawn  out  forward  into  massive  jaws.  Then  there  is  an 
impenetrable  night.  No  footprint  on  the  shore  of  the 
ages,  no  carved  stone,  no  fossil  bone,  no  record  in  brazen 
metal,  nothing  but  silence  and  darkness,  until  suddenly, 
in  the  gloomy  twilight,  numberless  ages  thereafter,  we 
see  looming  in  the  mists  on  the  plains  of  Assyria  empires 
of  colossal  proportions,  with  their  walled  cities,  their 
written  languages,  their  vast  armies,  from  which  comes 
the  neighing  of  steeds  and  the  roar  of  chariots. 

That  interval  was  filled  with  pain  and  struggle.  The 
inherent  tendency  of  growth  forced  itself  through  the 
darkness  of  that  night.  It  seized  upon  every  advantage, 
and  the  strong  came  forward  in  the  dreadful  struggle 
for  existence. 

There  was  the  individual,  alone,  a  hermit,  skin-clad, 
defenceless,  except  by  his  club.  Around  him  the  wil- 
derness, filled  with  savage  beasts,  and,  what  he  most 
feared,  men  savage  like  himself. 

What  were  his  family  relations?     If  we  pass  to  Aus- 


280  THE   ETHICS   OF   SCIENCE. 

tralia,  we  shall  find  a  similar  estate  of  savage  life,  a  fos- 
sil remaining  for  our  inspection.  The  Australian  se- 
lects a  hollow  tree  for  his  house,  and  goes  out  to  seek  a 
mate.  He  prowls  through  the  forest  like  a  beast  of  prey. 
If  he  chance  to  meet  a  female,  his  courtship  is  of  short 
duration.  It  is  unmarked  with  the  gentle  amenities  of 
civilized  life.  He  stealthily  approaches  her,  knocks  her 
down  with  a  club,  and  drags  her  to  his  rude  retreat. 

This  is  the  beginning  of  marriage,  of  the  family,  of 
the  State. 

It  will  be  perceived  that,  should  the  affections  become 
sufficiently  strengthened  to  hold  the  family  together,  an 
incipient  tribe  would  be  founded,  and,  deriving  strength 
from  mutual  protection,  they  would  possess  great  ad- 
vantages over  solitary  individuals. 

Government  rests  on  the  family.  The  family  is  the 
origin  and  foundation,  the  centre  of  departure  of  the 
social  fabric. 

We  do  not  propose  to  sketch  this  progress,  which  of 
itself  would  require  volumes,  and  only  introduce  it  to 
show  the  origin  of  that  bundle  of  customs,  beliefs,  usages, 
and  attainments  which  we  call  society,  and  that  man, 
instead  of  being  a  fallen  being,  has  from  his  appearance 
on  this  globe  constantly  advanced. 

His  evolution  is  subject  to  fixed  and  unchangeable 
conditions.  Diverse  as  the  phenomena  presented  by 
society,  seemingly  conflicting  and  uncertain  as  are  its 
individual  phenomena,  we  are  assured  by  those  who 
have  studied  the  perplexing  diversity  that  births  and 
deaths,  the  phases  of  crime,  the  occupations  of  people, 
the  intensity  of  their  thought,  their  character,  is  gov- 
erned by  unchanging  laws.  The  whole  social  fabric  is 
bound  together  with  bonds  no  individual  can  break. 

Here  is  forced  upon  our  attention  the  primary  prob- 
lem which  laws,  in  the  beginning,  attempted  to  define, 
from  which  has  grown  all  legal  enactments,  and  which 
forms  the  basis  of  history. 

EIGHTS    OF    SOCIETY   AND   THE    INDIVIDUAL. 

This  problem  is  to  determine  where  the  sphere  and 
rights  of  the  individual  terminate  and  those  of  society 


DUTY   AND    OBLIGATIONS   OF   SOCIETY.  281 

begin.  Here  is  the  battle-field  of  human  rights,  on 
which  the  combatants  have  fought  with  varying  for  tune 
since  society  began.  The  individual  has  been  slowly 
and  surely  gaining  on  society,  sometimes  victorious  and 
plunging  into  anarchy,  sometimes  defeated  and  made  a 
slave. 

The  understanding  correctly  of  the  obligations  of  so- 
ciety to  the  individual,  or  the  opposite,  the  obligations 
of  tne  individual  to  society,  is  the  solution  of  this  inter- 
minable problem. 

The  primeval  man,  as  an  individual  sovereign,  owed 
allegiance  to  no  one  ;  he  depended  on  himself.  It  is 
true  his  life  was  not  complicated,  a.  simple  matter  of 
eating  and  breathing,  in  which  he  was  left  alone.  With 
the  family,  the  tribe,  the  nation,  and  the  acquisition  of 
property  came  the  conflicting  rights  of  the  clan  over  its 
individual  members.  The  latter  were  compelled  to  sur- 
render more  or  less  of  their  individual  liberty  for  the 
good  of  all.  In  those  ages  of  war,  when  might  consti- 
tuted right,  the  conqueror  was  ruler.  The  individual 
became  nothing,  the  State,  the  rulers,  everything.  The 
effects  of  this  condition  still  remain  in  all  the  nations 
of  the  world.  The  government,  be  it  an  emperor,  a 
king,  a  monarchy,  or  democracy,  is  absolute  over  the 
individual. 

AMERICAN   SOLUTION   OF   THE    PROBLEM. 

In  America  this  order  is  modified.  The  government 
flows  from  the  consent  of  the  governed,  and  is  an  ex- 
pression of  their  will.  Yet  laws  cannot  change  what 
has  been  inwrought  by  the  ages.  Revolutions  are  not  the 
work  of  a  day,  but  of  centuries.  If  the  active  force  of 
coercion  has  ceased,  there  is  a  force  still  stronger  and 
more  subtle  brought  to  bear — that  of  public  opinion. 
They  who  advocate  the  sovereignty  of  the  individual 
overlook  or  too  lightly  estimate  the  bonds  which  unite 
society  since  the  time  that  the  family  held  itself  to- 
gether, because  it  derived  great  advantage  in  the  strug- 
gle for  existence  ;  by  so  doing  new  obligations  were  as- 
sumed ;  and  as  the  welfare  of  all  depended  on  the  ac- 


282  THE    ETHICS   OF   SCIENCE. 

tions  of  each  one,  they  became  interested  in  the  welfare 
of  each  of  its  members.  Society  was  organized  and 
laws  framed  to  define  these  various  and  conflicting 
rights,  constantly  becoming  more  and  more  complex  as 
new  interests  were  involved,  until  the  present  time, 
when  the  best  metaphysicians  are  led  astray  in  their 
attempts  to  reconcile  the  conflicting  claims. 

FABLE   OF    THE   WHEEL. 

There  has  supervened  such  a  perfect  mutual  depend- 
ence, society  has  become  so  thoroughly  blended  and 
unitized,  that  the  whole  body  is  intensely  sensitive  to 
the  disturbance  of  its  individual  members.  The  de- 
pression of  one  nation  affects  many  others.  One  indi- 
vidual cannot  suffer  without  all  others  feeling  it  more  or 
less.  The  most  insignificant  pursuit  has  its  own  field, 
and  is  woven  by  golden  threads  into  the  most  extensive. 
No  one  can  withdraw  without  damage  to  the  others. 
Such  is  this  close  connection,  reminding  one  of  the 
fable  of  the  coach-wheel,  the  parts  of  which  engaged  in 
dispute  as  the  coach  was  descending  a  mountain,  which 
was  the  most  essential  ;  the  hub  claiming  that  it  was 
the  central  pivot,  the  spokes  that  they  gave  it  extent, 
the  felloes  that  they  gave  circumference,  and  the  tire 
that  it  bound  all  together.  When  they  waxed  warm  in 
argument,  the  linchpin  cried  out  it  was  overlooked. 
"  Ah  !  my  little  fellow,  what  are  you  good  for?"  they 
all  cried. 

"  Well,  I'll  show  you,  for  I  will  drop  out,  and  we 
will  see  what  will  become  of  you."  So  it  dropped  out, 
the  wheel  came  off,  and  the  coach  dashed  over  a  preci- 
pice. 

Those  who  would  centralize  government  and  grant  it 
control  over  everything  argue  after  this  fashion  :  The 
individual  is  a  brick  in  the  edifice,  and  lives  not  for  him- 
self, but  for  that  edifice. 

THE   TENDENCY   OF   CIVILIZATION 

has  been  to  place  greater  and  greater  safeguards  around 
the  rights  of  the  individual,  assuring  him  safety  of  per- 


DUTY   AND   OBLIGATIONS   OF    SOCIETY.  283 

son  and  property  and  freedom  of  thought.  To  do 
this  is  the  essential  function  of  government.  It  guards 
the  individual  from  encroachments,  giving  him  liberty 
to  do  as  he  pleases  at  his  own  cost,  so  far  as  he  does  not 
interfere  with  similar  rights  of  others.  In  the  United 
States  it  has  been  held  as  a  maxim  that  the  best  govern- 
ment was  that  which  governed  least — in  other  words, 
which  allowed  the  greatest  liberty  to  the  individual  and 
the  minimum  of  control  to  itself.  Our  theor}r  of  gov- 
ernment is  that  the  individuals  composing  it  unite  for 
the  purpose  of  mutual  aid  and  protection.  This  end  is 
best  accomplished  by  allowing  each  individual  his  own 
chosen  sphere  of  activity,  and  bestowing  on  the  general 
government  the  power  to  compel  the  members  to  grant 
the  same  liberty  they  demand  for  themselves.  If  they 
will  not  confine  themselves  to  their  own  spheres,  but 
trespass  on  the  rights  of  others,  the  government  must 
carry  out  the  will  of  its  component  members  and  re- 
strain the  offender.  In  no  other  case  can  it  rightly  de- 
prive any  of  its  members  of  liberty,  and  it  can  do  this 
only  because  the  individual  has  shown  himself  incapable 
of  governing  himself.  In  such  cases  the  object  should 
not  be  vengeance  or  punishment,  but  reform,  and  in  this 
light  the  present  prison  system  is  a  blot  on  the  fair  face  of 
our  civilization.  We  do  not  reform,  we  punish.  The 
government  promises  protection  to  its  citizens  from  the 
criminal  class,  and  most  justly  removes  the  right  from 
the  individual  to  become  his  own  avenger.  Having 
done  this,  it  is  obligatory  on  it  to  render  the  detection 
of  crime  certain,  justice  unflinching,  and  provide  such 
conditions  for  the  offender  as  will  tend  to  his  reforma- 
tion, instead  of  plunging  him  deeper  in  crime.  The 
sentencing  of  criminals  for  a  fixed  term,  to  emerge  at  its 
termination  to  resume  their  career  of  crime,  is  a  farce. 
A  man  commits  robbery  and  is  sentenced  for  a  certain 
time,  does  the  judge  or  any  one  else  expect  he  will  issue 
from  his  cell  at  the  end  of  that  time  a  better  man  or  less 
a  rascal?  No!  It  is  not  even  so  stated.  It  is  so  many 
years'  punishment,  having  received  which,  the  debt  of 
justice  is  cancelled. 

If  a  man   will  injure  others,  he  should  be  confined 


284  THE    ETHICS   OF   SCIENCE. 

where  he  cannot  do  so,  and  surrounded  by  the  best  edu- 
cational influences,  and  not  allowed  freedom  until  it 
is  apparent  he  has  met  with  a  reformation. 

EDUCATION". 

As  education  lies  at  the  basis  of  progress,  it  is  of  vital 
importance  that  every  individual  become  educated. 
This  is  a  matter  in  which  all  are  equally  interested,  and 
it  becomes  obligatory  on  the  State  to  assume  its  control. 
As  the  government  discards  religious  influences,  that 
education  must  be  strictly  secular,  and  whenever  it  is 
otherwise  the  government  transcends  its  just  powers. 
Experience  has  taught  that  it  is  cheaper  to  educate  the 
children  than  to  punish  the  criminals,  but  half  the  po- 
tency of  that  training  is  lost  if  accompanied  with  sec- 
tarian bias.  The  Protestants,  at  the  Reformation, 
opened  wide  the  doors  of  learning,  *and  have  never  been 
able  to  close  them.  The  Catholics  recognize  its  value, 
but  govern  the  school  by  the  church,  and  dictate  what 
shall  and  what  shall  not  be  taught.  Human  foresight 
and  reason  is  good  enough  in  the  priest,  but  cannot  be 
trusted  in  the  layman — a  logic  only  correct  by  bestowing 
on  the  priest  peculiar  qualities  by  virtue  of  his  office. 

It  is  of  incalculable  value  to  all  that  education  be  uni- 
versal ;  as  this  is  the  only  safeguard  against  decay  and 
degradation,  it  becomes  obligatory  on  society  to  open 
free  schools  at  which  all  may  receive  the  benefit  of  in- 
struction. It  is  essential  that  sectarianism  under  all  of 
its  insidious  forms  be  excluded,  for  if  it  is  not,  the 
State  enters  the  province  of  individual  beliefs.  The 
course  of  instruction  should  be  exclusively  confined  to 
the  facts  of  science  and  demonstrated  knowledge. 

The  question  at  present  forcing  itself  on  public  atten- 
tion, is  compulsory  attendance  at  the  public  schools. 
There  is  no  doubt  but  the  issue  was  first  broached  by 
the  Catholics,  in  the  hope  of  breaking  down  the  present 
system,  nor  can  it  be  gainsaid  that  if  free  schools  be 
founded  for  the  purpose  of  educating  all  alike,  and 
especially  for  the  wants  of  those  who  cannot  provide  for 
themselves,  the  object  is  defeated  if  these  do  not  attend, 


DUTY    AND    OBLIGATIONS   OF   SOCIETY.  285 

and  in  practice  those  who  need  instruction  the  most, 
and  by  whose  attendance  society  would  be  most  bene- 
fited, are  the  ones  who  stay  away. 

It  is  not  the  concern  of  society  where  an  individual 
receives  education  ;  it  is  concerned  only  in  education  be- 
ing obtained.  Hence  it  may  consistently  require  every 
child  at  a  certain  age  to  pass  examination  in  prescribed 
branches  of  knowledge  ;  as,  at  fourteen,  to  be  able  to 
read,  write,  and  pass  creditably  in  arithmetic,  grammar, 
and  geography,  and  hold  the  parents  or  guardians  re- 
sponsible. 

It  is  true  the  rights  of  society  here  closely  tread  on 
those  of  the  individual,  and  there  is  no  more  tender 
point  than  the  rights  of  a  parent  over  his  child.  But 
the  parent  has  no  right  to  allow  his  child  to  become  a 
burden  to  the  society  which  must  receive  him  if  he  can 
avoid  so  doing,  and  hence  if  he  will  not  educate  it  him- 
self, he  must  be  compelled  to  do  so. 


FAMILY   RELATIONS. 

In  this  field  lie  all  the  family  relations  out  of  which 
society  itself  originally  sprang,  and  which  it  seeks  to 
support.  When  society  attempts  the  regulation  of  mar- 
riage it  deals  with  the  most  subtile  and  complex  relations 
of  human  beings.  The  reactionary  element  demands  free- 
dom in  this  relation,  claiming  it  to  be  a  contract  entered 
into  by  two  parties,  and  should  be  as  readily  cancelled 
by  the  consent  of  the  parties.  They  overlook  the  funda- 
mental principle  involved,  which  distinguishes  marriage 
from  all  other  contracts.  In  the  latter,  if  broken,  rep- 
aration can  be  made  ;  the  damages  estimated  in  dollars, 
and  the  obligation  cancelled.  In  the  former  each  party 
changes  even  the  form  of  their  lives  under  the  induce- 
ment of  the  pledges  of  the  other.  The  union  is  valu- 
able because  it  is  expected  to  be  permanent.  If  these 
pledges  be  broken  there  can  be  no  reparation.  Further- 
more, unlike  other  contracts,  it  looks  forward  to  a  third 
party  or  parties,  as  much  or  more  deeply  affected  as  the 
principals.  It  is  for  the  protection  of  these,  and  the 


286  THE    ETHICS   OF   SCIENCE. 

rights  of  the  individuals  themselves,  that  society  is  under 
the  obligation  to  interfere. 

Its  own  rights  are  also  involved.  Experience  has 
shown  that  civilization  and  purest  morality  are  cultivated 
best  in  the  family.  Around  the  hearth  cluster  the 
beatitudes  of  love,  friendship,  and  lofty  aspiration. 
Monogamic  marriage  purifies  and  ennobles,  and  by  it 
the  parents  are  compelled  to  bear  the  burdens  they  as- 
sume when  they  enter  that  relation.  The  duty  of  the 
parent  plainly  is  to  care  for  and  educate  his  children, 
and  only  when  he  fails  to  do  so  under  the  pressure  of 
circumstances  he  cannot  control,  is  he  justified  in  cast- 
ing his  burden  on  society.  As  this  contingency  may 
arise  at  any  time,  society  in  self-defence  is  obliged  to 
surround  the  family  institution  with  such  restrictions 
as  experience  has  taught  essential  to  the  best  interests 
of  the  individual  and  the  State. 

The  mistake  committed,  which  renders  the  objections 
of  innovators  plausible,  is  placing  man  and  woman  in 
an.  unequal  relation  before  the  law,  a  remnant  of  bar- 
barism— of  marriage  by  the  club,  as  illustrated  by  the 
Australian  ;  and  the  creation  by  public  opinion — another 
relic  of  an  early  age — of  a  different  code  of  morality  for 
man  than  woman. 


CENTRALIZATION. 

Against  the  general  tendency  toward  individualiza- 
tion,  recently  there  has  set  a  counter  current  in  favor 
of  centralization. 

It  would  place  all  the  railroads,  telegraphs,  canals, 
banks,  etc.,  in  the  hands  of  the  general  government, 
which  represents  society  in  its  most  concrete  form.  This 
centralization,  if  correct  in  principle,  should  not  rest 
here,  but  embrace  all  great  manufacturing  interests  and 
that  engine  of  power — the  press.  Then  society  would 
be  everything  ;  with  such  an  immense  patronage  a  pop- 
ular election  would  be  impossible,  and  we  should  have 
a  tyranny  to  which  that  of  the  monarchies  of  Europe 
would  be  liberty  itself. 


DUTY    AND   OBLIGATIONS   OF    SOCIETY.  287 


REMNANT   OF   THE   OLD   IDEA. 

The  old  idea  that  the  government  should  direct  the 
individual  is  a  constant  bane.  There  are  men  who 
should  know  better  constantly  saying  that  the  govern- 
ment should  do  this  or  that,  charging  it  as  the  cause  of 
hard  times,  panics,  strikes  and  corruption,  when, 
should  the  government  acton  such  suggestions,  it  would 
become  a  despicable  tyranny.  A  representative  govern- 
ment cannot  be  better  than  the  aggregate  of  its  com- 
ponent members.  It  cannot  become  corrupt  if  these  be 
pure.  If  rascals,  as  a  rule,  obtain  office,  it  is  because  of 
a  rascally  constituency.  Government  has  no  right  to 
do  what  individual  enterprise  can  do  better.  Its  prov- 
ince is  to  protect  such  individuals  in  their  enterprises, 
and  open  wide  the  door  of  competition  by  forbidding 
monopoly. 

In  matters  of  conscience,  in  religion,  where  nothing 
can  be  demonstrated  and  each  individual  is  proportion- 
ally tenacious  of  his  opinion,  it  is  obligatory  on  the  State 
to  allow  absolute  liberty,  guaranteeing  all  in  their  rights 
and  forbidding  interference  of  opposing  beliefs.  Be- 
cause certain  beliefs  honestly  held  are  opposed  to  those 
popularly  accepted,  or  because  they  may  be  deemed  im- 
moral, does  not  justify  interference.  Every  one  must 
be  his  own  judge  in  th'is  matter. 

Take,  for  instance,  the  ordinance  of  Sunday.  It  is 
well  to  rest  one  day  in  seven,  and,  on  physiological 
grounds,  the  custom  of  its  observance  is  a  good  one.  In 
order  to  yield  its  full  benefit  it  must  be  general, 
that  the  labors  of  one  may  not  compel  that  of  an- 
other. 

Yet  to  make  it  a  sacred  day,  and  by  legal  enactment 
compel  every  qne  to  observe  it,  transcends  the  sphere  of 
the  State.  The  individual  is  the  best  judge  of  his  own 
methods  of  observing  that  day.  In  the  days  of  the 
Puritans,  who  strove  as  thoroughly  as  they  could  to 
chase  pleasure  and  joy  out  of  the  world,  every  other 
place  of  resort  was  closed,  that  there  might  be  no  ex- 
cuse from  the  church.  It  has  taken  two  hundred  years 
to  outgrow  that  bias,  and  yet  the  museums  and  public 


288  THE   ETHICS   OF    SCIENCE. 

libraries  refuse  to  open  their  doors  on  the  only  day  the 
laboring  people  can  enjoy  them. 

THE    DANGER. 

The  great  danger  which  now  threatens  the  liberties 
of  this  country  is  the  insidious  attack  on  the  constitu- 
tional guarantee  of  freedom  of  conscience.  The  evan- 
gelical party,  who  are  engaged  in  this  bigoted  movement, 
unknowingly  join  hands  with  the  Catholics  they  detest, 
and  together  form  a  strong  force,  which  the  utmost 
might  of  liberalism  will  find  it  difficult  to  stay.  This 
movement  has  the  destruction  of  the  common  schools 
at  heart,  and  with  them  perish  civil  liberty. 

True  government  is  that  which  allows  the  individual 
the  utmost  freedom,  and  exercises  that  power  which  is 
necessary  to  guarantee  this  freedom  and  execute  those 
measures  which  society  as  a  whole  can  better  perform 
than  the  individual.  The  obligations  of  society  end 
here,  and  the  sphere  of  the  individual  begins. 


XII. 

EIGHTS   OF   GOVERNMENT. 

THE  rights  of  government  are  based  on  eternal  justice. 
If  it  be  said  it  rests  on  the  consent  of  the  governed,  than 
this  must  mean  that  the  governed  consent  to  the  re- 
quirements of  justice  ;  if  on  the  will  of  the  majority, 
then  that  it  is  presumable  the  majority  comprehend 
justice  better  than  the  minority.  But  the  minority  may 
be  in  the  right,  and  there  may  be  such  an  occurrence  as 
a  single  man  standing  on  justice  opposed  to  a  whole 
realm. 

It  is  not  correct  to  say  government  is  based  on  the 
free  consent  of  the  governed,  for  it  is  not,  more  than  the 
right  of  Reason  and  Conscience  to  control  the  mind 
rests  on  the  consent  of  the  lower  faculties. 


RIGHTS   OF   GOVERNMENT.  289 

Those  who  make  repressive  laws  necessary,  and  are 
controlled  by  them,  never  have  consented  to  such  Jaws, 
and  would  not  had  they  been  given  the  choice.  The 
entire  criminal  class  rebel  against  government,  and 
would  annul  all  repressive  laws  so  far  as  they  are  con- 
cerned. That  such  government  exists  is  because  a  large 
proportion  of  the  community  have  so  decided,  and  their 
decision  is  directly  against  the  wishes  of  the  class  they 
seek  to  govern.  It  is  the  same  under  all  forms  of  gov- 
ernment, autocratic  or  extreme  republicanism  ;  for  in 
the  latter  the  majority  force  obedience  on  the  minority. 

In  a  society  where  the  criminal  class  are  in  majority, 
repressive  laws  might  be  enacted  as  a  homage  of  vice  to 
virtue,  but  they  could  not  be  enforced.  The  criminal 
majority  would  bid  defiance  to  legal  control.  Hence 
the  laws,  as  the  expression  of  a  few  wise  and  good  men, 
may  be  far  better  than  the  society  ;  they  are,  however, 
powerless  unless  their  execution  is  in  the  hands  of  effi- 
cient power,  which  cannot  exist  in  a  republican  govern- 
ment unless  a  majority  are  on  the  side  of  virtue.  In 
fact,  until  this  be  the  case  a  republic  cannot  exist.  A 
free  government  cannot  maintain  itself  unless  a  strong 
majority  of  its  individuals  are  able  to  govern  themselves. 
Until  this  stage  is  reached  autocracy  and  monarchy  are 
the  only  rule  capable  of  holding,  with  strong  hand,  in 
necessary  restraint  the  dominant  vicious  element,  and 
thus  giving  protection  to  the  weaker  portion. 

The  worst  form  of  tyranny,  although  itself  given  over 
to  propensities,  depends  for  its  existence  on  the  observ- 
ance of  the  higher  laws  by  those  it  governs.  The  tyrant 
may  hold  himself  amenable  to  no  law  but  his  desires, 
but  the  people  are  controlled  by  laws  fixed  by  the  wisest 
of  the  realm.  If  the  tyrant  introduces  his  own  vices 
into  his  government  his  reign  is  brief.  It  is  this  fact 
which  has  made  monarchy  an  essential  means  of  prog- 
ress. However  it  may  have  failed,  as  a  whole  it  has 
followed  the  course  expressed  in  the  law  of  the  higher 
governing  the  lower.  It  has  attempted  to  enforce  right 
with  might  in  a  rude,  coarse  fashion,  and  because  it 
has  done  so  it  has  been  permitted  to  rule.  The  freest  re- 
publicanism attempts  the  same.  Society  has  advanced 


290  THE    ETHICS   OF   SCIEXCE. 

so  far  that  a  sufficient  number  of  its  members  hare  ac- 
quired the  power  of  self-government.  The  monarch  is 
replaced  by  the  majority.  The  right  of  government 
rests  on  the  necessity  of  restraint,  which  makes  any  gov- 
ernment for  a  savage  or  half-civilized  society  better  than 
none,  and  the  purpose  to  compel  obedience  of  the  lower 
to  the  higher  faculties  ;  of  selfishness  to  benevolence  ; 
of  hate  to  love  ;  of  individuality  to  patriotism  ;  of  ani- 
mality  to  morality.  It  will  thus  become  evident  that 
all  governments,  from  tyranny  to  republicanism,  rest 
on  the  same  foundation.  Tyranny  or  absolute  mon- 
archy is  the  first  step  out  of  barbarism,  and,  becoming 
more  and  more  limited,  prepares  the  way  for  republi- 
canism. The  former  will  exist  until  the  preparation  is 
gained.  When  the  majority  in  the  latter  form  of  gov- 
ernment temporarily  advocate  injustice,  as  is  sometimes 
the  case,  it  becomes  one  of  the  most  despicable  forms  of 
tyranny. 


XIII. 

DUTIES  OF  SOCIETY   TO    CRIMINALS. 

TRUE  government  is  the  concrete  expression  of  the 
will  of  society,  practically  based  on  the  free  consent  of 
the  majority.  As  the  minority  never  greatly  falls  below 
the  majority  in  number,  it  is  clear  that  the  will  of  the 
latter  cannot  widely  differ  from  the  former  without  work- 
ing injustice  and  possibly  becoming  tyrannical.  The 
rights  of  the  minority  are  gained  by  the  ever  threatening 
prospect  of  its  acquiring  power.  If  we  ask  why  it  is  estab- 
lished at  such  sacrifice  and  cost  to  the  individual,  there 
is  one  answer  :  it  guarantees  the  protection  of  life,  lib- 
erty, and  property.  This  is  the  principal  end  of  free 
government  by  the  people  and  for  the  people.  If  it  ex- 
ceeds this  sphere  and  grasps  the  rights  or  the  property  of 
the  individual  it  is  robbery.  If  it  fails  to  give  protection 
it  is  illegitimate.  If  it  is  made  an  object  of  itself,  it  be- 
comes dangerous,  and  one  step  removed  from  tyranny. 


DUTIES    OF   SOCIETY   TO    CRIMINALS.  291 

A  true  republican  government  is  the  expressed  will  of 
the  governed,  and  its  every  provision  must  be  for  the 
good  of  the  whole.  As  government  means  restraint, 
this  restraint  rests  on  those  who  do  not  control  them- 
selves. Society  is  compelled  to  protect  itself  against  the 
appetites  and  propensities  of  its  members  who  do  not 
or  cannot  restrain  themselves.  Were  all  governed 
by  morality  and  knowledge,  laws  would  be  unneces- 
sary. A  complicated  portion  of  the  machinery  of  gov- 
ernment is  set  in  motion  for  protection  against  fraud, 
rascality,  and  crime,  and  has  been  in  operation  since  im- 
memorial time.  Under  whatever  form  of  government — 
tyranny,  monarchy,  theocracy,  or  republican — almost  the 
same  identical  code  has  been  accepted.  The  individual 
who  has  broken  the  law  has  been  dealt  with  by  an  iron 
hand.  The  way  of  the  transgressor  has  been  hard. 

The  Mosaic  code,  an  "  eye  for  an  eye,"  holds  its  place 
even  to  the  present  day,  despite  that  Christianity  claims 
to  be  founded  on  charity  and  love.  Jesus  taught,  if  a 
man  strike  you  on  one  cheek,  turn  the  other  also.  Moses 
taught,  and  the  law  repeats,  if  a  man  strike  you,  strike 
him  back  as  hard  as  you  can.  Our  criminal  laws  are 
founded  on  Moses  and  not  on  Christ.  Theology  is  respon- 
sible for  their  cruelty  and  the  injustice  they  work  by 
the  false  doctrine  it  has  taught  that  man,  being  a  "  free 
agent,"  sinned  from  choice  and  must  be  punished,  and 
punished  eternally.  As  the  sin  was  in  the  will,  that 
must  be  broken,  and  the  sentence  of  the  law  was  ven- 
geance. When  it  speaks  of  justice  even,  it  is  vengeance, 
not  justice,  that  is  implied.  The  law  to-day  depends  on 
force  in  the  same  manner  it  did  in  Moses'  time.  It  is 
backed  with  jails,  state  prisons,  penitentiaries,  dungeons, 
and  gibbets.  There  has  been  no  change  in  its  spirit. 

This  must  all  be  changed.  Fear  may  prevent,  it 
never  reformed.  It  has  held  undivided  sway,  and  the 
result  is  not  flattering.  Men  rob  and  are  false,  and 
murder  under  the  very  shadow  of  the  scaffold.  Hanging 
is  a  sacrilegious  mockery,  which  serves  to  make  life 
cheap  and  to  erect  new  gibbets.  Society  is  protected 
imperfectly  both  in  life  and  property.  The  prisons 
overflow,  and  daily  the  gallows  stretches  its  gaunt  arm, 


292  THE   ETHICS   OF    SCIENCE. 

and  only  a  few  raise  their  voices  that  this  is  not  the  best 
possible  method  of  disposing  of  human  beings  ! 

There  is  a  criminal  class.  They  are  human,  but  un- 
fortunately constituted.  They  cannot  be  trusted.  They 
encroach  on  the  rights  of  others,  and  thus  show  that 
they  are  dangerous  to  be  allowed  at  large.  Whenever 
one  of  these  commits  a  crime  he  is  seized  by  the  law  and 
sentenced  for  a  fixed  term  of  years  at  hard  labor  in  the 
penitentiary.  The  judge  grades  the  time  to  deal  justly — 
that  is,  to  administer  the  proper  punishment  !  But 
why  punish  ?  Is  it  for  the  good  of  the  individual  or  so- 
ciety ?  Nature  never  punishes  for  the  sake  of  punish- 
ment. To  do  so  is  the  height  of  cruelty  and  folly.  It 
cannot  change  the  results  of  the  crime,  and  at  most  can 
only  by  fear  prevent  its  recurrence.  The  unfortunate 
criminal  remains  the  same,  or  is  made  worse.  He  ex- 
piates his  offence  and  is  then  free.  He  was  at  first  a 
dangerous  individual  to  trust  at  large,  he  has  become 
still  more  dangerous.  He  was  systematically  brutalized. 
His  hair  was  cropped,  his  clothes  changed  for  prison 
stripes,  he  was  compelled  to  labor  for  others,  his  diet 
reminding  him  of  his  ignominious  position,  cutoff  from 
all  news  from  the  world,  literally  buried  alive.  This 
has  not  tended  to  reform  him.  Now  he  is  again  free,  the 
mark  of  Cain  is  on  his  brow.  He  goes  into  the  world, 
moneyless,  friendless,  characterless,  with  an  evil  repute. 
No  one  will  employ  him — he  must  steal  or  starve.  He 
may  go  forth  with  high  resolve,  but  it  will  be  blown 
away  by  the  rude  contact  with  heartless  life,  and  in  des- 
peration another  crime  will  blacken  the  dark  annals,  and 
again  punishment  will  avenge  injured  rights. 

The  law  and  the  theology  on  which  it  rests  have  no 
faith  in  man,  nor  belief  in  his  immortality.  Is  he  an 
immortal  being,  with  the  grand  and  infinite  possibilities 
which  form  the  horizon  of  such  a  being,  his  earth -life 
one  of  growth  and  reform  from  the  bondage  of  desires, 
or  a  vicious  brute,  to  be  hunger  branded  with  infamy  to 
deter  other  brutes  from  like  course  ?  If  anything  is 
self-evident,  it  is  that  this  system  has  completely  failed, 
as  appeals  to  the  lower  nature  always  must,  for  in  their 
spirit  they  degrade  instead  of  elevate. 


DUTIES   OF   SOCIETY   TO    CRIMINALS.  293 

If  there  is  any  law  of  moral  duty  written  in  letters 
of  light,  so  that  he  who  runs  may  read,  it  is  the  obliga- 
tion we  owe  to  the  unfortunate  and  the  undeveloped. 
Picture  to  ourselves  a  pure  and  loving  angel  in  the  judi- 
cial chair  sentencing  a  wretched  being  to  prison  or  the 
gallows  !  The  picture  would  be  branded  as  a  falsehood. 
We  anticipate  the  estate  of  the  angel  ;  to  become  as 
pure  and  loving  we  feel  is  our  birthright.  Is  not  that 
which  every  instinct  revolts  against  referring  to  the 
angel  equally  abhorrent  when  practised  by  ourselves? 

This  is  not  idle  sentimentalism,  but  a  practical  system, 
which  will  give  the  most  desirable  results.  We  by  no 
means  would  allow  the  criminal  the  freedom  which  he 
forfeits  by  his  disregard  of  the  rights  of  others.  He  is 
incapable  of  self-control,  he  must  be  controlled.  How? 
By  temporary  imprisonment  and  compulsion  to  work 
for  others?  By  branding  with  infamy?  Rather  by 
confinement,  so  that  he  cannot  injure  others,  and  in- 
tellectual and  moral  education.  This  confinement  not 
to  be  a  definite  punishment  for  a  certain  crime,  but  the 
crime  indicating  incapacity  of  control,  he  is  to  remain 
until  he  gives  assurance  of  being  able  to  govern  himself, 
be  that  time  one  year  or  a  lifetime. 

Under  the  present  system,  when  a  convict  emerges 
from  the  gate  of  the  penitentiary  does  any  one  claim 
that  he  is  reformed  ?  Is  it  not  known  that,  with  rare 
exceptions,  the  punishment  has  hardened  him  in  crime, 
and  he  is  more  dangerous  than  before  ?  Why  should 
he  be  reformed,  when  there  has  not  been  the  least  effort 
made  to  reform  him  ?  Deprived  of  books,  of  papers, 
of  conversation  even  with  his  fellows,  often  confined  in 
a  solitary  cell,  how  is  it  possible  for  the  higher  faculties 
to  gain  that  activity  which  alone  can  assure  him  a  bet- 
ter life  ? 

There  are  asylums  in  which  the  blind,  by  patient  in- 
struction, learn  difficult  arts,  and  to  read  with  their 
delicate  sense  of  touch.  There  are  others  where  hu- 
mane men  learn  the  deaf  mute  to  converse  by  signs, 
and  thus  unbind  the  fetters  of  the  struggling  spirit. 
And  others  yet  undertake  the  almost  hopeless  task  of 
instructing  the  idiotic,  and  are  rewarded  by  seeing  the 


294  THE    ETHICS    OF   SCIENCE. 

dormant  intellect  quicken  and  gleam  with  the  inspira- 
tion of  thought.  Numberless  asylums  for  the  insane 
are  conducted  without  stint  of  cost,  that  Reason  de- 
throned may  again  assert  her  rule.  Is  the  case  of  the 
criminal  more  hopeless  ?  Why  treat  him  with  such 
vindictive  hate?  He,  too,  is  capable  of  culture,  and  in 
a  far  superior  measure  to  any  of  the  others.  His  is  a 
species  of  moral  idiocy  and  insanity  requiring  the  same 
benevolent  training  and  loving  charity. 

The  prison  should  not  bo  a  rack  of  torture,  but  a 
school  of  reform.  By  this  means  life  and  property  would 
be  far  more  secure  than  at  present,  for  at  least  one  half 
the  crimes  are  committed  by  those  who  have  been  set  at 
liberty  after  serving  sentence.  Tlie  portion  of  life  these 
convicts  spend  outside  the  prison  walls  is  brief  compared 
to  that  during  which  they  are  incarcerated.  Nor  would 
the  prisons  be  more  overcrowded,  for  those  who  were 
sent  out  would  not  return,  and  crime  would  be  lessened. 

GOVERNMENT  SHOULD    GIVE    ASSURANCE. 

If  government  attempt,  as  it  does,  to  assure  protec- 
tion, let  it  make  its  assurance  good.  Now,  if  a  robbery 
is  committed  the  robber  is  convicted  and  sentenced, 
but  government  attempts  no  restitution  of  the  lost  prop- 
erty. It  taxes  the  loser  for  protection  and  grants  none. 
Justice  demands  such  restitution,  and  that  the  govern- 
ment look  to  the  robber  for  its  rendition.  He  should 
be  employed,  and  the  proceeds  of  his  labor  used  to  make 
good  the  amount  he  appropriated. 

The  last  crime  we  have  to  consider  is  the  capital 
offence,  which  has  been  unflinchingly  punished  with 
death.  While  society  has  the  right  to  employ  such 
means  as  is  necessary  to  protect  itself,  it  cannot  justly 
resort  to  severest  means  when  others  will  answer  the  same 
purpose.  By  capital  punishment  it  ignores  the  sacred- 
ness  of  human  life,  the  very  offence  it  strives  to  punish. 
It  does  not  lessen  crime,  and  hence  cannot  plead  intim- 
idation. As  conducted  in  the  jail  yard,  with  priestly 
confessors,  it  is  a  ghastly  farce  little  removed  from  a 
brutal  butchery. 


THE    DUTY   OF   SELF-CULTURE.  295 

The  sacredness  of  human  life  should  be  upheld  firmly, 
that  even  the  murderer  should  not  forfeit  it.  He 
should  lose  his  liberty,  and  safety  may  demand  the  for- 
feit perpetual. 

If  the  death  penalty  is  for  the  purpose  of  vengeance, 
or  if  it  is  for  intimidation,  hanging  is  too  mild  a  form 
of  execution.  The  most  terrible  tortures  and  excruciat- 
ing methods  should  be  used,  so  as  to  appall  the  stoutest 
heart.  This  was  done  in  olden  times,  and  resulted  in 
stimulating  instead  of  frightening.  Crime  grew  out  of 
the  punishment  of  crime.  In  those  States  that  have 
abolished  capital  punishment  crime  has  decreased. 
These,  however,  have  not  gone  far  enough.  They  have 
only  reached  what  may  be  called  a  passive  stage,  which 
simply  places  the  criminal  where  he  can  do  no  harm, 
and  do  not  trouble  themselves  with  his  culture.  The 
priest  is  their  reliance  to  work  a  change  of  heart,  which, 
when  pronounced,  is  practically  denied  by  the  fastened 
bolts  of  the  prisoner's  door. 

Humanity  can  know  but  one  duty  in  the  premises. 
It  may  shrink  from  it  now,  but  the  future  is  full  of 
promise.  Even  the  murderer  is  immortal,  and  some- 
time will  begin  an  advancement  which  shall  culminate 
in  angelic  excellence.  The  laws  of  the  universe  work 
out  their  own  purpose.  We  need  not  trouble  ourselves 
to  avenge  their  transgression.  We  can  with  justice  pro- 
tect ourselves,  and  in  doing  so  work  directly  in  their 
channel. 


XIV. 

THE  DUTY  OF  SELF-CULTUEE. 

It  is  said  the  chief  end  of  man  is  "To  glorify  G-od 
and  enjoy  him."  There  is  a  duty  which  precedes  this, 
however,  the  same  expressed  in  different  words,  and 
that  is  to  glorify  himself.  By  glorify  we  mean  the  glory 


296  THE    ETHICS   OF   SCIENCE. 

of  a  noble,  well-spent  life.  If  man  lives  not  for  this 
end  his  life  is  aimless  and  profitless.  The  necessity  of 
education  is  felt  by  all  who  have  thought  on  the  subject. 
The  free  schools,  where  all  can  receive  the  rudiments  of 
knowledge,  are  justly  regarded  as  the  bulwark  of  liberty, 
yet  there  is  a  broad  difference  between  the  learning  of 
the  schools  and  the  true  culture  most  desirable.  Statistics 
show  that  the  criminal  class  are  not  all  unlearned,  and 
some  of  the  most  flagrant  are  thoroughly  educated  so 
far  as  the  schools  go.  Learning  to  read,  to  write,  for- 
eign tongues,  or  science  may  leave  the  mind,  beyond 
these  acquirements,  a  barren  waste.  What  is  usually 
considered  as  an  education  is  only  the  means  whereby 
an  education  may  be  acquired.  Even  the  collegiate 
course  is  rudimentary,  and  when  finished  the  graduate 
is  no  more  than  poorly  prepared  with  means  whereby  he 
may  become  truly  educated.  To  say  of  such  that  they 
are  educated  is  like  calling  one  an  artist  because  he  has 
the  materials  with  which  to  paint  a  picture  or  chisel  a 
statue.  lie  has  the  means,  but  it  rests  with  himself 
how  he  uses  them  ;  whether  he  produces  a  daub  or  a 
Eaphael,  a  grotesque  caricature  or  an  Apollo  Belvidere. 
The  parrot  learning  of  the  schools,  which  takes  no  deep 
root  in  the  mind,  may  be  used,  and  more  frequently  is, 
by  the  lower  as  well  as  by  the  higher  nature.  Then  we 
see  the  anomaly  of  learning  making  men  worse  instead 
of  better. 

This  shows  the  necessity  of  a  radical  change  in  our 
educational  methods  and  the  ideas  on  which  they  are 
founded.  Man  was  not  created  for  the  exclusive  de- 
velopment of  any  one  faculty.  If  he  ignores  this  fact 
he  becomes  one-sided,  deformed,  and  dwarfed.  Educa- 
tion should  embrace  the  entire  circle  of  human  capabil- 
ities, and  if  it  falls  short  of  this  it  is  proportionally  de- 
fective. The  ordinary  routine  of  the  schools  ignores 
the  body.  The  student  graduates  with  enfeebled  health, 
and  thus  in  getting  knowledge  has  destroyed  the  means 
by  which  it  can  be  made  practical  and  effective. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  laborer  gives  his  life  to  unre- 
mitting physical  toil,  and  ignores  mental  and  moral 
culture.  The  result  of  this  one-sided  activity  may  be 


THE   DUTY   OF   SELF-CULTURE.  297 

seen  in  the  deformed  characters  everywhere  to  be  met 
with. 

PHYSICAL  CULTURE. 

As  the  body  is  the  instrument  whereby  the  spirit  ex- 
presses itself,  its  perfect  development  is  important  not 
only  to  earthly  existence,  but  to  spiritual  well  being. 
Health  is  the  greatest  good  to  the  body.  It  is  the  har- 
monious activity  of  all  its  organs,  performing  all  their 
functions  each  in  its  sphere.  Disease  is  the  reverse  of 
this,  and  comes  not  as  a  punishment,  but  as  a  re- 
sult. 

There  are  instances  where  the  mind  seemingly  has 
arisen  above  physical  limitations,  and  while  disease  has 
slowly  destroyed  the  body,  it  has  remained  bright  and 
clear  ;  yet  these  are  exceptional  cases.  Disease  weakens 
physical  power  and  suppresses  spiritual  energy.  The 
spirit,  as  long  as  it  remains  in  the  body,  is  subject  to 
its  limitations.  The  body  is  an  instrument  perfectly 
adapted  to  bring  it  in  contact  with  and  give  it  control 
over  matter,  but  may  become  through  disease  an  in- 
cumbrance. 

To  preserve  the  health  should  be  the  first  effort. 
Everything  detrimental  to  it  should  be  regarded  as  only  a 
step  removed  from  immorality.  This  subject  falls  under 
the  law  of  the  Appetites,  as  already  discussed.  Health 
does  not  require  extra  physical  development,  which  may 
be  carried  to  an  extreme  and  defeat  entirely  its  pur- 
pose. The  muscles  of  the  gymnast  are  too  often  en- 
larged at  the  expense  of  his  mind.  Muscles  half  as 
strong  may  be  quite  as  indicative  of  health. 

The  child  should  be  taught,  first  of  all,  that  labor  is  not 
only  noble  and  honorable,  but  a  duty.  That,  as  every- 
thing is  created  by  labor,  he  must  be  too  magnanimous 
to  live  by  the  toil  of  others.  It  must  be  instilled  into 
the  mind  that  it  is  as  noble  to  plough  and  sow  as  to  pull 
the  oar  ;  to  swing  the  sledge  as  the  dumb-bells. 

The  body,  as  the  temple  of  the  spirit,  should  be  re- 
garded as  holy  and  too  sacred  to  be  desecrated  by  any 
vile  habits.  The  man  who  thus  regards  his  earthly  tem- 
ple will  not  dare  defile  its  purity.  He  will  regard  it  as 


298  THE    ETHICS   OF    SCIENCE. 

an  obligation  to  maintain  its  functions  to  the  utmost  of 
his  power. 

Disease  is  not  a  punishment,  but  an  inevitable  conse- 
quence. While  many  of  its  causes  inhere  with  the  body, 
a  proportion  are  of  the  mind,  which,  properly  directed, 
can  rise  above  and  entirely  cast  them  off.  This  is  the 
right  method  of  their  treatment. 

The  mind  can  possess  a  far  greater  control  over  the 
body  than  it  does  at  present.  Instances  are  recorded 
where  individuals  could  arrest  the  circulation  and  the 
pulsations  of  the  heart,  and  lestore  the  same  by  their 
wills.  These  extreme  cases  show  what  is  possible  for 
all.  From  the  control  of  the  excretions  and  secretions 
is  scarcely  a  step  to  molecular  changes  in  the  tissue  it- 
self, on  which  health  and  disease  depend.  It  is  possible 
for  the  Will  to  become  so  strong  as  to  dominate  over  the 
body  and  control  its  activities.  This  is  the  new  medi- 
cal science  of  the  future,  when  drugs  will  be  regarded 
as  the  coarse  expedients  of  a  rude  age. 

As  the  spirit  constantly  gains  power  over  the  body 
from  generation  to  generation,  there  can  be  no  limits 
set  except  where  it  gains  perfect  control.  That  this  is 
possible  is  shown  by  the  degrees  of  Will  and  instances  of 
its  triumph. 

The  martyr  smiles  on  burning  coals,  and  feels  not  the 
tortures  which  rend  the  limbs  asunder.  There  is  that 
state  of  spirit  ecstasy,  of  freedom  and  triumph,  which 
changes  physical  pain  to  spiritual  pleasure.  When  such 
control  is  gained  and  directed  by  the  knowledge  which 
finally  will  be  its  accompaniment,  the  body  will  no 
longer  be  a  fetter  to  the  spirit.  It  will  be  built  up 
beautiful  and  perfect,  and  the  most  poisonous  sub- 
stances— the  venomous  fang  and  sting,  the  malarious  at- 
mosphere, the  changes  of  temperature,  all  forms  of  dis- 
ease will  be  harmless  against  the  strongest  force  in 
nature,  the  human  Will. 

Such  is  the  perfection  of  physical  culture  when  the 
body  is  under  absolute  control  of  the  Will.  How  im- 
perfectly it  is  at  present  our  educational  methods  show. 
The  child,  in  learning  to  walk,  is  taking  its  first  lessons 
in  Will  over  its  limbs.  Its  effort  to  speak  is  a  struggle 


THE    DUTY    OF    SELF  CULTUKE.  299 

of  the  "Will  to  control  the  tongue.  In  learning  to  write 
the  ideal  forms  of  the  letters  are  in  the  mind,  the  diffi- 
culty is  to  move  the  fingers  correctly.  The  same  is  true 
in  music,  to  execute  which  excellently,  training  must  be- 
gin early  and  be  continued  for  a  lifetime.  And  yet, 
after  all  this  practice  the  Will  never  gains  perfect  con- 
trol. Even  in  walking  and  speaking  this  is  quite 
apparent.  The  efforts  of  the  elocutionist  show  how 
great  an  improvement  can  be  made  in  speech,  what  fine 
tones  and  subtile  distinctions  may  be  produced  ;  yet  this 
is  only  a  prophecy  of  what  is  possible. 

The  dancer  shows  what  command  the  Will  can  gain 
over  the  feet,  and  the  skilled  penman  and  artist  what  it 
can  gain  over  the  hand. 

That  it  has  not  similar  mastery  over  other  organs  and 
functions  is  because  it  has  not  been  educated  in  their 
directions. 

It  is  thus  apparent  that  education  begins  with  the 
body,  which  must  be  preserved  in  health,  the  equivalent 
of  purity.  We  must  feel  that  it  is  a  sacred  shrine, 
wherein  the  immortal  spirit  resides  during  its  earth  life, 
and  by  which  it  is  brought  in  contact  with  and  is  able 
to  control  the  material  world,  and  should  disdain  to  do 
any  act  which  shall  deform  or  defeat  its  usefulness. 

CULTURE  OF   THE  INTELLECT. 

The  possession  of  mind  by  man  imposes  the  obliga- 
tion of  its  culture.  He  must  not  only  think,  but  thiuk 
aright.  Observation  of  phenomena  is  the  food  of  the 
intellect,  which  digested  appears  in  ideas. 

Of  the  methods  of  culture  a  wide  diversity  of  opinion 
prevails.  This,  however,  may  be  held  as  true,  the  In- 
tellect is  benefited  in  proportion  as  it  assimilates  its 
food.  Collegiate  cramming  is  the  antipode  of  educa- 
tion. It  is  the  learning  of  the  parrot,  and  not  of  the 
man. 

What  the  intellect  is  capable  of  achieving  is  shown  by 
the  attainments  of  those  who  have  led  in  the  discoveries 
of  science  and  art.  Newton  shows  what  all  may  be- 
come in  mathematics  ;  Herschel,  in  astronomy  ;  Hum- 


300  THE    ETHICS   OF   SCIENCE. 

boldt,  in  the  sciences  ;  and  assured  that  what  is  possible 
for  them  is  possible  for  every  human  being,  there  opens 
an  interminable  field  for  culture.  For  the  individual  sci- 
ences it  may  be  better  that  each  have  specialists,  but  for 
the  specialists  it  is  a  sacrifice  of  completeness  and 
dwarfing  of  their  minds  except  in  certain  directions. 

THE   CULTURE  OF  MORALITY. 

The  morals  are  the  highest  faculties  of  the  mind. 
Without  them  Intellect  becomes  the  ally  of  the  Appe- 
tites and  Propensities.  The  sense  of  right,  justice, 
benevolence,  unselfish  love,  which  is  benevolence — all 
are  included  in  this  group.  Its  culture  is  of  highest 
importance,  as  by  it  man  approaches  the  perfection  of 
his  ideal. 

The  culture  should  be  gained  by  actual  exercise,  and 
not  by  theorizing.  You  may  commit  to  memory  all 
the  moral  sayings  of  the  world  and  read  all  its  moral 
philosophies,  and  one  deed  will  have  more  influence 
than  all. 

It  is  usual  for  age  to  give  mellowness  to  character,  for 
the  Propensities  are  less  active  and  the  morals  gain 
ascendency.  The  same  desirable  state  may  be  gained  by 
culture.  Morality  is  the  growth  of  a  lifetime.  It  is  not 
what  a  man  does,  except  as  that  indicates  what  he  really 
is  and  the  motives  which  actuate  him. 

The  murderer  on  the  gallows  murmurs  a  prayer,  calls 
on  Jesus,  and  is  forgiven.  He  dies  with  the  certainty 
of  salvation  it  is  said,  all  his  crimes  washed  away. 
This  is  a  most  immoral  doctrine,  and  leads  to  ruin  in- 
stead of  salvation.  The  young  convert  who  receives 
mercy  from  the  throne  of  grace  is  told  and  believes  he 
is  religious,  or,  in  other  words,  is  as  moral  as  it  is  possi- 
ble to  become.  He  cultivates  a  vain  self-conceit  instead 
of  moral  character,  which  cannot  be  gained  by  a  resolve 
in  an  hour,  a  day,  or  year,  but  by  slow  accretions,  build- 
ing with  each  new  opportunity  and  trial. 

There  can  be  no  healthy,  moral  culture  in  seclusion. 
True  character  is  the  balance  of  faculties  in  the  presence 
of  the  active  world.  There  is  no  virtue  in  the  gourmand 


THE   DUTY    OF   SELF-CULTUKE.  301 

not  eating  when  surfeited,  of  the  drunken  not  drink- 
ing. Strength  is  gained  and  tested  by  temptation. 

The  parents  who  keep  their  child  from  contact  with 
the  world  for  fear  of  its  contamination  forget  that 
sooner  or  later  this  contact  must  come,  and  that  the  only 
way  it  can  be  prepared  is  by  the  contact  itself.  Then 
its  tendencies  can  be  watched  and  balanced,  and  moral- 
ity grow  strong  by  use. 

The  plant  droops  and  withers  in  darkness,  and  can 
be  prepared  for  the  light  only  by  giving  it  the  light, 
itself. 

The  present  every-day  business  and  political  code  of 
morals  is  a  keen  satire  on  the  moral  system  taught  under 
the  name  of  religion.  It  shows  how  false  is  the  basis 
of  that  system.  It  has  authoritatively  told  mankind 
that  they  were  weak  and  depraved  until  they  have  come 
to  think  weakness  and  depravity  their  normal  state. 
They  are  not  ennobled  by  the  thought  that  they  are  di- 
vine, but  degraded  as  worms  of  the  dust. 

The  child  should  be  taught  as  the  first  moral  lesson, 
that  it  is  a  divine  and  holy  being,  too  good  and  pure  to 
do  wrong.  That  as  physical  health  is  the  perfect  action 
and  balance  of  all  bodily  powers,  so  spiritual  health  and 
happiness  depend  on  the  action  and  balance  of  all  men- 
tal faculties.  It  should  be  taught  that  expediency  must 
never  influence  its  choice,  and  that  the  conscience  should 
rule.  For  the  man  and  woman  there  is  the  same  code. 
The  thought  or  word  which  causes  one  to  blush  should 
crimson  the  cheek  of  the  other.  Virtue,  chastity,  fidel- 
ity have  no  limitation  of  sex. 

Such  should  be  the  first  lesson  instilled  into  the  mind 
of  the  child.  He  should  be  taught  to  fear  ignorance  as 
the  source  of  all  error,  and  to  seek  knowledge  as  his  only 
saviour. 

If  the  men  of  thought  are  instanced  as  examples  of 
the  grand  capabilities  of  the  intellect,  and  the  intellect 
of  the  schoolboy  incited  by  achievements  of  the  Hum- 
bold  ts,  Herschels,  La  Places,  and  Darwins,  still  more 
should  his  moral  character  be  stimulated  by  examples 
of  morality.  Now  it  is  deadened  with  the  opiate  of 
business  necessities,  which  are  ruled  by  selfishness. 


302  THE   ETHICS   OF   SCIENCE. 

The  Astors,  Vanderbilts,  and  Drews  are  embodi- 
ments of  commercial  morality.  How  low  and  igno- 
ble their  selfish,  grasping,  unscrupulous  aims  !  None 
of  these,  but  the  sages  of  ancient  and  the  spirit- 
ual thinkers  of  modern  times  show  to  what  sublime 
heights  it  is  possible  for  man  to  reach.  The  Christian 
well  may  worship  his  ideal  Christ,  for  what  is  possible 
for  him  is  possible  for  every  human  being.  He  per- 
ceived the  true  object  of  life,  and  made  his  ideal  practi- 
cal. Every  child  has  the  germs  of  these  high  qualities, 
which,  however  dwarfed  by  the  conditions  of  earth-life, 
•will  mature  in  ripe  fruitage  in  some  future  time.  As 
this  is  the  ultimate  destiny,  moral  education  should  take 
precedence  of  all  other  instruction.  In  fact,  education 
should  be  directed  toward  the  moral  instead  of  the 
purely  intellectual.  It  is  not  enough  to  know.  Facts 
have  no  life  unless  their  relation  to  spiritual  advance- 
ment is  understood.  And  here  the  knowledge  of  future 
life  enters  and  unites  all  knowledge  into  one  complete 
whole.  Man  becomes  the  greatest  fact  in  the  world, 
and  his  moral  nature  the  greatest  fact  in  man. 


XV. 

MAKEIAGE. 

THE  difference  in  the  condition  of  man  and  woman 
has  been  an  element  of  confusion  in  reasoning  on  the 
relations  they  should  sustain  to  each  other.  She,  being 
the  weaker,  has,  during  the  vast  ages  of  man's  savage 
life,  been  subject  to  his  strength.  Instead  of  the  wife 
being  the  equal  of  her  husband,  she  has  been  his  abused 
slave  and  beast  of  burden.  It  is  interesting  to  trace  the 
marriage  relation  as  it  arises  from  the  brutal  instinct  to 
the  spiritual  plane,  and  note  the  slow  changing  of  an 
intense,  selfish  appetite  to  the  ally  of  the  purest  senti- 
ments and  feelings  of  humanity. 


MARRIAGE.  303 

The  union  of  man  and  woman  in  the  relation  of  hus- 
band and  wife,  a  connection  around  which  the  holiest 
affections  and  purest  emotions  of  the  heart  gather,  to 
us  is  so  natural  that  we  infer  all  the  races  of  men  re- 
gard it  in  like  manner.  On  the  contrary,  however,  the 
lower  races  have  no  marriage  in  our  sense  of  that  term, 
nor  are  they  susceptible  of  true  and  abiding  love.  Mar- 
riage is  little  more  than  the  meeting  of  the  sexes,  and 
is  unaccompanied  with  affection.  The  words  expressive 
of  tender  emotions,  as  "  to  love,"  "  dear,"  "  beloved," 
are  not  found  in  languages  spoken  by  savages.  The 
lowest  races  are  as  destitute  of  affections  as  the  brutes, 
and  cohabit  in  the  same  manner.  The  "  Hottentots," 
says  Kolben,  "  are  so  cold  and  indifferent  to  one  an- 
other that  you  would  think  there  was  no  such  thing  as 
love  between  them."  Lander,  in  his  "  Niger  Expedi- 
tion," says  of  the  Central  African,  "  Marriage  is  cele- 
brated by  the  natives  as  unconcernedly  as  possible  :  a 
man  thinks  as  little  of  taking  a  wife  as  cutting  an  ear 
of  corn — affection  is  entirely  out  of  the  question." 

The  lowest  form  of  marriage,  as  presented  by  the 
most  inferior  races,  has  been  styled  very  inappropriately 
communal  marriage,  a  term  that  applies  as  well  to  the 
sexual  relations  of  animals.  It  is  consummated  with- 
out love  or  affection,  and  is  simply  the  result  of  brutal 
instinct. 

From  this  instinct  we  arise  to  a  consideration  of  the 
abstract  significance  of  its  development  in  marriage  as 
expressed  in  civilization.  The  conjugal  instinct  in  the 
savage,  like  all  his  appetites,  is  unrestrained  by  higher 
motives.  We  perceive  as  we  arise  to  more  advanced 
stages  the  blending,  of  those  motives,  but  nowhere  their 
full  appreciation.  Marriage,  even  with  the  most  civ- 
ilized people,  is  not  wholly  redeemed  from  the  original 
stain.  Viewed  as  it  was  by  the  ascetic  religionists  of 
the  past,  it  is  not  strange  that  it  should  be  forbidden 
their  holy  men,  or  regarded  as  evil.  Marriage,  which 
should  be  made  in  heaven,  was  in  their  conception  made 
in  hell,  and  to  speak  in  correspondence,  truthfully,  in 
the  hell  of  the  Passions. 

Now  that  attention  has  been  drawn  to  this  subject 


304  THE    ETHICS   OF    SCIENCE. 

more  scrutinizingly  than  ever  before,  and  the  very  foun- 
dations of  monogamic  marriage  itself  questioned  ;  now 
that  in  some  quarters  the  savage  form  of  communal 
marriage  is  sought  to  be  revived,  and  there  is  a  loosen- 
ing of  confidence  in  the  permanence  of  the  marriage  re- 
lation, by  the  ease  with  which  legal  divorce  is  procured, 
a  thorough  investigation  of  the  subject  is  demanded. 

Never  before  has  social  science  received  such  close  and 
careful  attention  and  impartial  scrutiny  as  at  present ; 
and  the  marriage  relation,  as  the  basic  institution  of  our 
social  life,  has,-  of  course,  absorbed  a  due  share  of  in- 
vestigation. It  must,  however,  be  confessed  that  soci- 
ology is  far  from  resting  on  a  fixed  basis,  and  as  yet 
holds  similar  relations  to  science  that  alchemy  or  astrology 
did  several  hundred  years  ago. 

We  are  entering  a  new  era.  Old  ideas  and  cherished 
beliefs  are  broken  up,  and  we  eagerly  ask  where  is  the 
new  truths  which  are  to  enshrine  themselves  in  the  place 
of  our  broken  idols  ? 

The  social  relations  are  of  such  subtile  character,  so 
intricate  and  difficult  to  understand,  that  the  student 
is  confounded  on  the  threshold  of  the  subject.  Eight 
and  wrong  become  confused  ;  the  new  is  sought  because 
new,  and  the  old  is  said  to  be  false  because  old. 

In  a  measure  this  social  agitation  is  the  result  of  the 
emancipation  of  the  State  from  the  Church.  Marriage 
has  been  regarded  as  a  sacrament.  The  State  declares  it 
a  legal  institution,  and,  by  giving  its  officers  power  to 
legalize  marriage,  has  destroyed  its  sacramental  charac- 
ter. In  this  change  is  danger,  for  the  mind,  pressed  in 
one  direction,  is  prone  to  swing  too  far  in  the  other 
when  the  pressure  is  removed.  Marriage,  considered  as 
a  sacrament  solemnized  by  God's  vicegerents  on  earth, 
and  founded  on  divine  ordinance,  was  considered  indis- 
soluble except  for  great  crimes.  There  is  enchantment 
in  this  view  of  marriage.  If  the  right  individuals  are 
united  in  its  adamantine  chains,  so  far  from  galling, 
they  give  perfect  security  and  rest.  Love  receives  the 
sanction  of  divine  authority,  and  is  declared  eternal. 

But  the  right  individuals  do  not  always  unite.  Hu- 
man nature  being  fallible,  errs  in  its  judgment.  The 


MARKIAGE.  305 

wrong  inflicted  by  irrevocable  marriage  became  appar- 
ent, and  the  institution  came  under  the  control  of  the 
State.  The  poesy,  the  charm  of  imagination,  the  play 
of  fervent  fancy  in  this  prosaic  age  gather,  as  they 
should,  around  the  actual  love  ;  but  the  ceremony  has 
no  divine  power  or  awful  mystery  of  authority.  It  rests 
on  man-made  laws.  Now  the  social  philosopher  swings 
with  a  bound  from  the  sacramental  to  the  legal.  He 
declares  marriage  to  be  a  mere  legal  contract,  and,  like 
all  other  legal  contracts,  dissolvable  with  the  consent  of 
the  parties.  Is  it  true?  So  far  as  marital  laws  protect 
the  rights  of  the  contracting  parties  and  their  offspring,  it 
becomes  like  other  legal  contracts.  Beyond  these  limits, 
it  is  subject  to  higher  laws. 

A  legal  contract,  when  fulfilled,  if  justly  made  leaves 
the  contracting  parties  as  they  were  before  it  was  made. 
If  the  marriage  relation  is  assumed,  can  the  contracting 
parties  make  restitution,  and  is  it  not  impossible  to  till 
its  obligations  except  with  an  entire  and  devoted  life? 

Furthermore,  the  institution,  with  all  its  enactments, 
looks  beyond,  to  children  as  a  third  party,  who,  although 
outside  of,  absolutely  depend  on  its  provisions.  It  is 
assuredly  untrue  to  term  such  an  agreement  a  legal  con- 
tract like  any  other,  which  may  be  annulled  at  anytime 
by  the  desire  of  one  or  both  of  the  parties. 

The  rights  which  grow  out  of  marriage  may  be  defined 
by  law,  but  no  human  enactments  can  reach  the  subtile 
relations  of  souls.  Estates,  real  and  personal,  may  be 
measured  and  apportioned  bylaw  ;  the  heart  lies  beyond 
its  province.  Sacred  and  holy  are  its  relations,  and,  so 
far  as  it  is  concerned,  marriage  becomes  a  divine  sacra- 
ment ;  the  golden  chalice  in  which  the  mutual  lives  of 
parents  and  offspring  are  pressed  by  generous  hands  to 
willing  lips. 

The  great  question  is  what  will  bring  the  most  good 
and  happiness  to  the  individual  and  humanity,  and 
whatever  that  may  be  will  certainly  gain  ascendency. 
We  feel  assured  by  history  that  wife  slavery  has  been 
tried  and  failed.  Woman  has  the  same  right  to  freedom 
as  man,  and  a  wrong  inflicted  on  her  is  a  wrong  to  the 
race.  Half  the  life  of  humanity  is  destroyed  by  her 


306  THE    ETHICS   OF    SCIENCE. 

slavery.  Communal  marriage  has  been  tried  and  proved 
a  failure.  In  its  gross  form,  or  combined  with  wife 
slavery,  it  gave  no  warm  social  life,  and  threw  the  bur- 
den of  the  family  on  the  wife,  to  whom  it  did  not  belong. 

Polygamy  is  essentially  brutal  and  degrading.  The 
family,  with  its  united  responsibilities,  its  social  life,  its 
purest  of  joys,  can  never  exist  with  a  plurality  of  wives 
and  mothers.  It  has  been  fully  tested,  and  civilization 
where  it  exists  is  a  failure. 

We  have,  then,  to  consider  monogamic  marriage,  and 
ask,  first,  Is  it  based  on  the  constitution  of  man  ? 

The  fact  that  the  number  of  male  and  female  births 
is  nearly  the  same,  being  practically  identical,  and  when 
uninterferedwith  remains  identical,  is  a  strong  evidence 
in  favor  of  monogamic  marriage.  If  one  man  have 
several  wives,  then  several  men  must  remain  single.  If 
marriage  has  advantages,  and  through  and  by  it  a  higher 
good  and  happiness  be  attained,  then  on  the  latter  an 
irreparable  wrong  is  inflicted.  Polygamy  does  not 
cancel  this  wrong  by  a  greater  amount  of  happiness  or 
good  bestowed  on  the  plurality  of  wives,  for  they  are 
held  in  abject  slavery,  and  the  harem  is  not  a  favorable 
school  for  children. 

Marriage  looks  forward  to  the  family,  Children  have 
a  right  to  parental  love  and  affection,  and  parents,  by 
the  marital  act,  assume  the  responsibilities  of  the  care 
and  proper  education  of  their  children. 

Society  is  interested  in  marriage  so  far  as  compelling 
the  individual  to  bear  such  responsibilities  ;  otherwise, 
if  the  individual  did  not,  then  the  burden  justly  his 
becomes  a  common  tax  on  all,  which  would  be  unjust, 
except  through  benevolence.  The  duties  of  parents  of 
caring  for  their  children  lasts  until  the  latter  have  at- 
tained their  majority,  and  this  period  extends  over  the 
mature  portion  of  parental  life.  It  is  in  the  home  es- 
tablished by  such  marriage  that  the  most  complete  ex- 
pression of  the  best  qualities  of  human  nature  is  attained. 
It  is  through  the  family  that  love  goes  forth  to  the 
world.  Then  the  child  receives  the  attention  the  warmth 
of  affection  bestows,  which  in  no  other  way  can  be  poured 
out  in  such  full  measure.  Then  the  mother  can  receive 


MARRIAGE.  307 

the  protection  and  care  which  is  her  right  ;  for  to  the 
father  belongs  the  maintenance  of  his  child.  This 
duty  is  his,  because  of  his  greater  strength  and  ability. 

Marriage  demands  honor,  truthfulness,  and  fidelity. 
While  love  is  free  to  choose,  it  is  not  free  to  cast  aside 
duties  once  assumed.  When  it  has  once  decided,  the 
fact  that  its  decision  is  final  is  a  potent  cause  of  per- 
manency. If  it  be  allowed  to  decide  with  every  mo- 
mentary whim  there  could  be  no  marriage,  which,  by  its 
nature,  contemplates  and  presupposes  permanence. 
The  pledges  of  lovers  are  exchanged  under  the  assur- 
ance of  eternal  duration,  for  love  is  prophetic,  and  rec- 
ognizes with  clear  prescience  its  demands. 

Conjugal  love  is  exclusive,  because  it  presciently  feels 
what  science  is  slowly  but  surely  revealing,  the  great 
and  imperishable  influence  the  parents  have  over  each 
other  through  the  parental  act.  The  very,  being  of  the 
mother  is  moulded  by  the  force  which  fashions  the  germ 
after  its  father.  She  assimilates  and  becomes  like  him. 
It  is  a  union  if  possible  more  close  than  were  the  same 
blood  to  pass  through  their  united  veins,  and  beyond 
this,  in  the  domain  of  subtile  magnetism  yet  almost  un- 
heeded, are  more  delicate  blendings.  The  attraction 
and  repulsion  which  finer  natures  experience,  and  which 
are  remorselessly  sacrificed  to  convenionce  or  interest, 
are  the  surest  guides  in  the  formation  of  proper  unions, 
and  the  health,  beauty,  and  development  of  offspring  are 
directly  related  to  their  satisfaction  and  balance  ;  for 
they  express  the  primal  condition  of  the  spirit,  which 
builds  up  the  physical  body.  The  suffering  which  flows 
from  ruthlessly  ignoring  conjugal  love,  both  mental  and 
physical,  is  beyond  the  expression  of  language.  The 
magnetic  or  nervous  forces,  if  unbalanced  and  unsatis- 
fied, induce  mental  suffering  which  can  only  be  borne 
by  high  resolves  and  the  passivity  of  endurance.  The 
germinal  force  carries  with  it  the  mental  and  physical 
conditions  of  the  father,  and  the  mother  is  modified  by 
their  influence.  The  transmission  of  disease  long  latent 
in  the  father  is  the  most  obvious  illustration  of  this  state- 
ment. The  poison  may  not  appear  in  the  same  form 
as  in  the  father,  but  attacking  the  weakest  organs  of  the 


308  THE    ETHICS   OF   SCIENCE. 

mother,  result  in  consumption,  nervous  debility,  scrofula, 
or  cancer.  Or  it  may  fail  to  attack  the  mother  from 
constitutional  peculiarities,  and  fall  on  the  offspring. 
They  will  die  young  or  struggle  with  chronic  disease, 
incurable  because  resulting  from  radical  organic  changes. 
By  entering  the  physiological  and  psychological  fields, 
a  volume  might  be  written  on  this  subject  in  evidence 
of  the  principles  here  stated.  These  principles  lie  at 
the  foundation  of  human  progress,  and  cannot  be 
ignored.  Their  evidence  is  in  the  experience  of  every 
one  who  has  given  the  least  thought  to  this  momentous 
subject,  and,  still  more  wonderful,  the  husband  and 
father  by  these  nervous  forces  is  subject  to  changes 
second  only  to  those  in  the  wife  and  mother.  This 
province,  which  lies  between  physiology  and  psychology, 
has  yet  to  be  explored. 

Thus  the  necessity  of  removing  marriage  from  the 
plane  of  Appetites,  of  the  Desires,  to  that  of  the  purest 
spiritual  necessities,  and  its  consummation  by  the  guid- 
ance of  knowledge  instead  of  blind,  infatuated  ignorance, 
is  presented  in  its  strongest  light. 

Free  Love  has,  by  its  plausibility,  led  many  a  well- 
irtentioned  soul  to  perdition.  Love  is  not  free,  nor  can 
it  be.  It  has  freedom  in  its  own  sphere,  but  not  to  in- 
terfere with  other  faculties.  If  by  love  is  meant  simply 
the  Appetite,  then  in  animals  it  is  free.  They  have  no 
sense  of  Eights,  they  have  no  duties,  and  are  led  only  by 
the  reproductive  instinct.  In  man  this  Appetite  is  com- 
bined with  the  most  spiritual  and  noble  qualities.  He 
has  Rights  and  Duties  unknown  to  brute?,  and  his  de- 
sire is  bounded  by  them.  Their  voice  is  superior  to 
its  promptings,  even  in  its  most  spiritualized  form. 
The  necessities  of  their  existence  forbids  the  stability 
of  the  conjugal  instinct  in  animals,  and  mutation  is 
their  law.  The  same  instinct  in  man  of  itself  prompts 
to  the  same  evanescent  character.  Its  uncontrolled 
activity  or  misdirected  energy  has  caused  more  pain  and 
ruin  than  all  other  causes  of  human  wretchedness  com- 
bined. A  more  destructive  belief  never  existed  than 
this,  which  converts  man  into  an  automaton  guided  by 
one  of  his  lowest  Appetites. 


MARRIAGE.  309 

Free?  Certainly,  to  love  under  guidance  of  Wis- 
dom. 

The  doctrine  of  affinity  is  responsible  for  a  large  share 
of  those  erroneous  ideas.  It  is  a  revival  of  the  old  myth 
that  husband  and  wife  were  two  halves  ;  when  the  right 
ones  came  together  a  perfect  unit  was  formed,  but  when 
the  wrong,  inharmony  and  antagonism  was  the  result. 
As  with  fallible,  imperfect  beings,  such  units  are  rare, 
the  presumption  is  that  the  wrong  halves  have  been 
brought  together.  If  every  one  has  a  corresponding 
mate  created  especially,  it  is  self-evident  that  all  have  a 
right  to  seek  until  they  find  that  mate.  The  search 
may  be  hopeless,  they  nevertheless  have  the  right.  The 
modern  phase  of  this  myth  has  as  little  foundation  as 
the  ancient.  Its  acceptance  leads  to  discontent,  and 
thus  intensifies  any  inharmony  which  may  exist. 

Love  is  free  to  choose,  but  in  man  love  means  more 
than  instinct ;  it  means  the  affections,  and  all  that  vast 
sphere  of  unselfish  qualities  which  have  been  aptly 
termed  benevolence.  Having  made  choice,  it  incurs 
the  most  momentous  duties  possible  for  a  human  being 
to  assume,  and  rights  spring  up  which  cannot  be  set 
aside.  These  can  be  properly  met  only  by  a  life  of  mutual 
devotion  between  the  husband  and  the  wife.  The  fruit 
of  love  is  an  immortal  spirit,  coming  unbidden  into  this 
world,  and  claiming  as  a  right  inalienable  the  affection 
and  care  of  its  father  and  mother.  No  sophistry  can 
answer  this  first  law  of  humanity. 

Not  only  does  the  child  call  for  care  and  attention,  it 
intensifies  the  best  qualities  of  its  parents'  hearts.  This 
is  not  all.  Man  is  helpless  in  infancy,  and  remains  so 
for  a  longer  period  than  almost  any  other  being,  and 
hence  the  rearing  of  two  or  three  children  spans  the 
length  of  most  lives  from  youth  to  age.  During  this 
period  separation  of  parents  is  a  deplorable  event  to  their 
children,  who  thus  lose  the  care  and  aifection  which  is 
justly  theirs. 

In  case  of  separation,  the  children,  being  the  joint 
right  and  responsibility  of  both  parents,  are  either  torn 
from  each  other  or,  because  the  affection  of  the  mother 
is  the  strongest,  they  are  given  to  her.  She,  however, 


310  THE    ETHICS   OF   SCIEXCE. 

is  least  able  to  support  them,  and  thus  bears  a  double 
injustice. 

But,  it  is  replied,  this  objection  does  not  apply  where 
there  are  no  children  !  When  a  man  and  woman  unite 
their  lives  and  found  a  home,  the  chief  consideration 
which  actuates  each  is  that  it  will  be  permanent.  They 
risk  everything  on  this  belief  ;  all  their  plans  are  made 
in  accordance  with  it.  There  is  a  trust  and  confidence 
which  never  would  be  bestowed  if  there  was  a  shadow 
of  a  doubt.  There  are  rights  common  to  both.  Purity 
and  chastity  are  required  by  physiology  as  well  as  mo- 
rality. Unselfish  affection  and  devotion  are  also  de- 
manded, which  shall  always  regard  the  happiness  and 
pleasure  of  the  other  rather  than  its  own.  Less  than 
this  will  yield  unhappiness. 

There  are  duties  which  cannot  be  set  aside.  First,  of 
truthfulness  to  the  vows  as  taken  ;  of  mutual  assistance, 
of  yielding  affection.  No  untoward  event  can  cancel 
these  rights  and  duties. 

"Can  you  help  loving  the  lovable?"  is  asked.  We 
reply,  Can  you  help  committing  an  injustice  ?  Can  you 
help  stealing  ?  Why  do  you  claim  that  you  can  refrain 
from  gratification  of  avarice,  of  taking  that  which  is 
not  your  own,  and  not  from  loving  ?  For  here  love  is 
simply  appetite.  If  you  mean  the  pure  love  which  ig- 
nores self,  we  say  the  more  of  it  you  have  the  better,  for 
it  only  elevates  you  and  those  you  love.  Look  at  the 
practical  results  of  the  doctrine  of  Freedom  in  Love. 
After  half  a  lifetime  spent  together,  during  which  all 
the  interests  of  each  is  inextricably  bound  in  those  of 
the  other,  the  husband  finds  a  lovely  person,  whom  he 
must  love  because  lovely.  Which  shall  triumph,  the 
rights  of  the  wife,  justice,  honor,  purity,  or  animal  in- 
stinct? Every  one  will  draw  back  with  aversion  from 
the  gulf  on  the  brink  of  which  this  man  stands.  The 
hell  of  passion  is  in  that  abyss.  If  he  yields,  manhood, 
character,  integrity,  usefulness  are  gone,  for  the  cable 
which  holds  him  to  right  is  broken,  the  compass  of 
duty  is  lost,  and  at  one  fell  step  he  is  plunged  from 
humanity  to  brutality. 

No  course  so  utterly  paralyzes  the  spiritual  nature  as 


MARRIAGE.  311 

this.  None  arouse  all  the  other  propensities  with  equal 
stimulant.  For  this  instinct  saturates  and  influences 
all  others.  The  treachery  of  the  tiger,  the  cunning  of 
the  fox,  the  ferocity  of  the  lion  it  augments  tenfold,  and 
even  the  timid  deer  will  fight  to  the  death.  It  allies 
itself  with  brutality,  and  stimulates  the  taste  for  intoxi- 
cants and  narcotics.  It  is  unmixed  and  unmitigated 
selfishness.  The  smallest  part  of  human  life  should  be 
diverted  to  the  natural  and  essential  obligation  of  this 
instinct.  |With  as  many  offspring  as  can  be  cared  for 
and  educated,  its  function  is  accomplished.  \  That  num- 
ber must  be  determined  by  the  united  wisdom  of  both 
parents.  An  undesired  child  can  never  enter  a  family 
holding  the  relations  we  have  outlined. 

It  is  objected  that  marriage  often  results  disastrously. 
The  home  becomes  a  pandemonium,  and  unmentionable 
suffering  results.  This  is  only  too  true  ;  but  it  must  be 
admitted  that  such  marriages  are  the  exceptions,  and 
they  are  such  because  they  violate  the  principles  before 
stated,  to  which  a  union  fraught  with  such  vital  conse- 
quences should  conform.  Likeness,  similarity  of  views 
and  tastes,  are  considered  unimportant,  and  attractions 
of  the  moment,  convenience,  or  interest  decide  the  most 
important  matter  which  can  be  presented,  on  which  life- 
long happiness  or  misery  depends. 

Should  these  mistakes  be  remedied  by  divorce  ?  We 
think,  as  the  lesser  of  two  evils,  both  appalling,  they 
should  be.  That  divorce,  however,  should  be  granted 
for  such  reasons  and  in  such  a  manner  as  not  to  weaken 
confidence  in  the  marriage  relation.  What  is  wanted 
is  not  divorce,  which  is  a  bad  remedy  for  a  bad  disease, 
but  education  in  the  broad  and  most  liberal  sense,  and 
especially  a  deep  moral  culture,  which  shall  present  the 
purpose  of  life,  its  objects  and  destiny. 

Before  such  education  can  become  general  and  effec- 
tive, where  mistakes  have  been  committed  there  should 
be  the  right  of  divorce,  and  that  without  prejudice  to 
either  party.  The  old  superstition  of  marriage  being  a 
sacrament,  and  because  sanctioned  by  a  priest  in  the 
name  of  God  is  indissoluble,  is  being  strenuously  main- 
tained by  the  priesthood,  who  put  forth  every  effort 


312  THE   ETHICS   OF   SCIENCE. 

to  prevent  the  enactment  of  laws  sanctioning  di- 
vorce. 

We  have  maintained  that  marriage  rests  on  a  more 
sacred  obligation  than  a  divine  ordinance — that  is,  the 
constitution  of  man  ;  and  yet  there  are  many  reasons  for 
granting  the  right  of  separation.  If  the  husband  and  wife 
are  hateful  to  each  other  ;  if  the  old  fable  of  the  union 
of  heauty  and  the  beast  is  repeated  ;  if  refinement,  pu- 
rity, and  spirituality  are  united  to  coarseness  and  brutal- 
ity, there  is  no  law  of  right  or  justice  which  should  keep 
them  together.  It  is  a  wrong  against  not  only  the 
suffering  individual,  but  against  society  ;  for  the  latter 
cannot  be  benefited  by  the  martyrdom  and  sacrifice  of 
the  individual  to  laws  working  injustice. 

There  is  no  immorality  in  such  a  divorce,  but  there 
is  the  lowest  depths  of  degradation  and  immorality  in 
compelling  the  pure  and  noble  to  accept  the  vile  and 
detestable  in  the  nearest  relations  of  human  life. 

The  highest  form  of  marriage,  as  taught  and  exacted 
by  the  Christian  churches,  endures  until  death.  Vastly 
higher  and  purer  is  the  ideal  which  extends  this  union 
into  the  infinite  future,  where  every  stain  of  earthly  at- 
traction shall  perish,  and  soul  be  drawn  to  soul  by  the 
holiest  motives  of  benevolence. 

Beyond  this  no  higher  relation  can  exist.  It  lies  at 
the  foundation  of  all  social  life.  And  as,  in  its  lowest 
expression,  it  is  a  creator  of  beings,  in  its  higher  it  is 
the  golden  bond  which  unites  them  in  universal  broth- 
erhood. 

Speculatively,  what  will  be  the  ultimate  of  this  union, 
which  we  have  seen  reaches  its  adamantine  cords 
through  every  fibre  of  the  united  beings?  Will  it  con- 
tinue the  gross  connection  it  is  commonly  regarded  ? 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  love  survives  the  shock  of 
death  of  the  physical  body,  and  in  the  sphere  immedi- 
ately beyond  this  contributes  to  the  joys  of  existence. 
Yet  the  proposition  has  axiomatic  force,  that  whatever 
has  relation  only  to  this  mortal  life  and  not  to  immor- 
tality will  sooner  or  later  disappear. 

Nature,  in  her  interminable  series  of  living  beings, 
from  the  atomie  to  man,  ever  keeps  one  aim  in  view, 


MARRIAGE.  313 

the  evolution  of  a  perfect  human  being.  Sexual  distinc- 
tions are  her  methods  of  propagation,  arise  from  neces- 
sity, and  have  this  one  object  in  view.  With  this  dis- 
tinction is  correlated,  or  of  necessity  accompanies,  others 
of  dependent  character. 

The  mental  qualities  of  the  parents  must  correspond 
to  the  diverse  demands  made  on  each.  The  qualities  of 
father  and  mother  are  stamped  on  the  spirit. 

It  is  also  axiomatic  that  whenever  a  function  ceases 
to  be  required,  all  its  dependent  manifestations,  how*- 
ever  remote,  sooner  or  later  also  cease.  The  distinction 
of  sex  is  an  accident  in  the  earth-life  of  the  spirit,  es- 
sential for  the  furtherance  of  the  requirements  of  organic 
being  ;  but  when  the  spirit  has  cast  aside  the  physical 
body,  through  and  by  which  such  distinctions  are  of 
ralue,  it  is  logical  to  suppose  that  the  mental  and 
spiritual  accompanying  distinctions  are  cast  aside.  The 
organization  possessed  while  in  the  physical  body  will 
for  a  time  reflect  itself  on  the  spirit.  It  will  think  and 
feel  as  it  did  on  the  earth,  but  these  effects  will  be 
outgrown. 

The  fundamental  faculties  of  man  and  woman  being 
the  same,  the  mental  distinctions  arising  from  greater 
activity  in  certain  directions  than  in  others — an  activity 
dependent  on  organic  requirement — it  consequently 
follows  that  when  such  demands  are  no  longer  made, 
the  mind  will  seek  a  state  of  equilibrium.  The  men- 
tal qualities  dependent  on  the  accidents  of  earth -life 
will  be  lost,  as  man  and  woman  become  like  each  other 
by  mutual  approach  to  a  common  type.  Conjugal  love, 
so  exquisitely  beautiful  in  its  expression  on  earth,  will 
become  sublimated  into  a  higher  and  purer  form.  The 
stain  of  earthly  qualities  will  disappear,  and  the  spirit 
be  conscious  of  its  own  completeness  in  feeling  that  it 
is  self-contained.  It  has  at  last  reached  the  ideal  per- 
fection of  Love,  which  pours  out  its  golden  flood  like 
the  ever-pulsating  sun,  unasked,  and  with  no  selfish 
thought  of  recompense. 


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